The Vampire and The Beta
by October103
Summary: Caroline Forbes moves to Beacon Hills for a new start, where she meets Derek Hale. As they get closer, Derek is captured by the Hunters. Will Caroline be able to save him or will she loose the one she's come to love? Suckish summmary. *Title may change*
1. A New Beginning

**Hi there! So one day I woke up and thought that Derek and Caroline would be cute together. It was random, but I fell in love with the idea. I know I'm currently working on another Vampire Diaries story, but I wanted to write this first chapter and see if anyone really liked it. If not, I probably won't finish, so I guess we'll have to see. So read on and I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think when you're done! (:**

**Also, I didn't have time to reread this and fix any errors, so please forgive me! The next chapter will be edited, I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or Teen Wolf.**

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><p>I sat outside on the curb, watching the movers unpack all my furniture and move it into my new house. I left behind Mystic Falls, needing to get away from my mother and all the bad things that'd happened there. Not that some good things hadn't happened there. Damon and Elena were finally together, no longer able to deny the attraction between themselves; last I heard, they were really happy. Stefan took it all very well, even admitting (and surprising everyone) that he still had feelings for Katherine. She, of course, was ecstatic to here this and the two of them ran off together. They promised to call every now and then and keep in touch so that Stefan and Damon's relationship didn't fizzle out like it had before.<p>

Matt found some blond bimbo to lust after and while it did irritate me some, I can't say I was broken up about it. He was the past and one of the parts I was deliberately leaving behind.

Mine and Tyler's friendship was at an all time high. We've both finally found someone, in each other, to confide in without being judged. God knows Tyler and I are the last people on earth who have room to criticize. I'm proud to call him my best friend. I was a little upset to be moving away from him, but I wouldn't have lasted another day with my mother. Tyler understood this all too well, so he didn't give me too much crap for leaving. I've been calling him every night so we can talk. I've been traveling for a couple days to get to my new house. The drive is actually only eighteen hours, but that's if I were to drive non-stop and I _needed_ my sleep.

I felt a little guilty about how I'd gotten the money for my own home, but the satisfaction of being able to live on my own was too great. A guilty smile crosses my lips as I remember compelling the bank teller to casually fill my very large purse with cash. If it wasn't for the compulsion and supernatural abilities, combined with a wig and large wire rimmed glasses, I never would have made it out of there.

I laugh quietly to myself. Caroline Forbes: vampire/bank robber. Bonnie and Elena would definitely scold me, but I can just imagine the smirk on a proud Damon's face. And speaking of Bonnie, she and Jeremy are doing fine as well. It makes me giggle thinking about the look on Jeremy's face every time he stared at his girlfriend; totally love sick.

I take a sip of the Starbucks coffee in my hand and glance around. I'd chosen a house very secluded, but not too far from civilization. It was in the woods, but I think I'll like it here. Privacy was something I rarely came by back in Mystic Falls.

"Ma'am, we've finished moving all the furniture inside. Do you need help arranging it?" The boy asking is young, probably around my age; eighteen. I laugh inwardly at being called "ma'am" and pluck a fifty dollar bill from my back pocket. I hand it to him, "No, I've got it. Thank you."

He smiles politely and takes the bill slowly from my hand, mumbling a thank you. See? Why couldn't boys my age be like this in Mystic Falls? I shake my head and sigh, knowing it's wistful thinking.

The moving van drives away and I strut up the front path, up the steps and to the front door. I walk inside and close the door behind me, setting my coffee on a built in book shelf that sits in the living room.

The house was much too big, really, but it was the only one secluded enough to my liking. Actually, it was the only secluded one that was available, so I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. Not that the house isn't beautiful, because it is. It's a two story with four bedrooms, three large bathrooms and a small vanity downstairs, and a decent size living room and kitchen. Okay, who am I kidding? The living room is huge, the kitchen and all the bedrooms as well, not to mention the Jacuzzi tub in my own bathroom. I don't know what I'm going to do with all this space. One room would be my bedroom, of course. Another one will be a guest bedroom, although I don't think I'll be having many of those. Guests, that is. The other two rooms… I just don't know.

But I did buy enough furniture to fill most of this house. I knew it was exceptionally large when I bought it and didn't want it to feel too empty, so I'd gone on a major shopping spree.

I take one more sip of coffee and then get to work on moving the furniture exactly the way I want it.

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><p>Two hours later, when I've set up everything the way I pictured and I've moved in personal belongings, I flop down on the couch and take a deep breath. I'm not really tired and moving all the furniture was like blowing feathers around the room, but I was getting a tad bored. I needed a break from running back and forth from upstairs and back down.<p>

I sighed and gazed around. The living room was done. I'd set up books I'd had for a while and some Bonnie thought would come in handy and small things on the book shelf, the TV was hooked up and already set to record my favorite shows, the couch and love seat were positioned nicely along with the coffee table I'd bought and the windows were open, allowing a nice small breeze to whip around the room.

I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, enjoying the smell of the woods. Maybe Ill just take a nap for now and finish moving stuff around when I wake up.

I position myself on the couch, propping a pillow under my head when I hear an unnatural rustling of leaves outside. My eyes snap open and I'm on my feet, standing on the porch before I know what I'm doing. I keep my eyes wide open, scanning back and forth and straining my ears as hard as I can for another sound that'll give me an idea of where the first one came from.

The mumbling of far away voices rings through my ears and I take off to my right, directly into the woods. I use my speed to catch up with the voice, also trying to memorize the paths I'm taking as I go. I'll need to be familiar with them if I ever want to be able to rely on them.

And it's only when I come across two boys, probably a year or two younger than me, do I stop and call out, "What're you doing here?"

The jump and spin around, the one with the short cropped hair letting out a shriek. I manage to keep a straight face even though I'm laughing on the inside at the terrified expressions on their faces. The one with longer brown hair and brown eyes stutters, "We were just… uhm…"

"Just walking around, ya know, hanging out." The other one says, trying to act casual.

I raise an eyebrow and ask, "What're your names?"

The one with shorter hair places a hand on his chest, "I'm Stiles," he motions to the other boy, "and this is Scott."

"Well Stile and Scott, did you know you're on private property?" I ask.

I'm aware that I'm being kind of bitchy and a little intimidating. I don't _really_ care if they were walking a mile away from my house, but I was far from the intimidating one in Mystic Falls and well, this is pretty fun.

"Are you a friend of Derek's? Scott asks suddenly.

I study him carefully and shake my head, "I just moved here."

Stiles raises an eyebrow and smirks, popping the collar on his jacket, "Well, in that case…"

Scott smacks him on the chest and Stiles gives him a confused look. I giggle a little bit, not able to hold it in any longer after watching these two. I manage to control myself and glance back at them.

"We were looking for… a friend, but he wasn't at his house, so we were searching the woods and uh… well he lives in that burned down house right over there, so we thought, ya know…" Scott trails off, obviously noticing the expression on my face.

"He lives in a burned down house?" I ask skeptically.

"Well… yes." Scott says. He's fumbling and a little nervous, but I notice the way he's looking at me. Like he might have to run or fight at any second. I think maybe I've already come across another vampire, but I rule that possibility out because I can hear two strong heartbeats. Warlock? Maybe. Werewolf?

I take an inconspicuous sniff of the air and catch a whiff of something foreign. I don't recognize it and while it doesn't smell terrible, it's not exactly a nice smell either. I look them over slowly and try not to hiss and them. Not knowing wasn't a good feeling. So I take a few steps closer and hold out my hand, "I'm Caroline."

I'm trying to tell which one of them carries the odd scent or if it's both of them. Scott takes my hand gently and immediately I can tell he's what I smelled. I can feel his heartbeat thrumming all the way down to the tips of his fingers. Definitely nervous.

I take Stiles' hand next and know that he's only human. He holds on to my hand slightly longer than necessary and I'm trying to keep from laughing again at the face he's making, trying to be suave. Luckily, Scott punches him in the arm and he releases his grip on me, glaring at his friend.

I take a step back and decide that I'll get nowhere with the intimidating, bitchy act. I needed to keep an eye on Scott and even if he wasn't a threat, it'd be nice to have friends here. I smile, unthreateningly, and clasp my hands together, but quickly unclasp them, not wanting to over do it. "So is this friend you're looking for the Derek you mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah. Have you seen any other people back here?" Scott asks.

I shake my head, "Sorry, no. Mind if I look with you guys?"

"No." Stiles smiles and I laugh quietly. Scott shrugs and motions for me to follow, offering a small smile, still a little defensive. I fall into step beside him and he asks, "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

Both boys stop walking and gawk at me. I stop too and gaze back at them, an eyebrow raised in question.

"You're only eighteen?" Stiles asks.

"Yes." I tell him. How old are these boys? I thought for sure they were seventeen or eighteen. Could they be younger?

"You look like, twenty-three." Stiles says.

"You were trying to hit on a twenty-three year old?" I ask him.

He blushes and Scott and I share a small laugh. Stiles looks between us and then blurts, "Scott has a girlfriend."

"Good for Scott." I say and then turn back around to continue walking. I hear their footsteps walk a little faster to catch up. We walk for another five minutes before I ask, "So what does this friend of yours look like, so I can keep my eyes peeled."

"He's medium height, buff, dark hair, pale skin… scary." Stiles says.

I turn in time to see Scott give him a warning glare and I turn away again. Derek, suspicious character. "Sounds great." Sarcasm dripping from my words.

The sun is beginning to dip below the horizon and I need a good night's sleep if I'm going to have to register for school tomorrow. I decide I'll just pick up where the seniors are at. I heard school hasn't been in session for that long anyways. I remember passing the high school as I was driving in and this towns' small enough that I should be able to find it again if I just drive into town, but I ask the boys for directions anyway.

"So I guess we'll see you at school tomorrow than?" Scott says.

"No. Tomorrow I'm just registering. I'll probably start on Tuesday or Wednesday." I explain.

"Can't your parents just take care of that stuff?" Scott asks.

"Nope. I moved here by myself, no parents. You're allowed to do that when you're eighteen." I point out.

"Lucky." Stiles mumbles.

I smiled, "Well I'll see you guys later."

"Can we come over tomorrow?" Stiles blurts.

"Stiles." Scott growls.

"What for?"

"Uh, well to hang out… and stuff." He says.

I shrug. Why not? "Sure."

I walk away from them and back towards my house. I could use a few friends here and letting them come over will give me a better chance to figure out what exactly Scott is. His scent was sort of familiar, but for the life of me, I couldn't place it. I sigh as I realize I'll need to finish putting things away when I get back to the house and I'll also need to go to the store tomorrow after I finish registering and get some food.

I decide to catch a few rabbits and maybe some deer on the way home. Not that Stiles' and Scott's blood was extremely appealing and making me thirsty, but it'd be best to play it safe. I didn't need to go around biting people my first week here.

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><p><strong>AN: Did you like? Review and let me know! (: Sorry Derek isn't in it yet. He'll be coming around soon (:**

**A little information: There's a Beacon Hills in Boston, MA and Seattle, WA and from Boston to Atlanta, GA, the driving distance is 18 and a half freaking hours. But of course it's longer from Seattle to Atlanta, so we're going with Boston people! 18 hours it is! Also, since they film TVD in Atlanta, we're just going to assume that's where Mystic Falls is (:**


	2. Vervain & Wolfs Bane

**Chapter 2. It's not great, because it's pretty much a filler. Next chapter will be better. *pinky promise***

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><p>I managed to open my front door while still carrying about fifteen bags of groceries. That's talent right there. I dropped the bags unceremoniously on the floor and fell into a kitchen table chair. I sigh happily and glance around. I was registered for school, I had enough groceries to last me two months, I'd finished unpacking last night and it was finally starting to feel like home. Not the town necessarily, but the house itself. It was nice and comfy here. A small smile graces my lips when I think about Scott and Stiles coming over later today. No one can replace my old friends from Mystic Falls, but that wasn't going to prevent me from getting close to people here.<p>

I smile a little wider and start putting the food and things away, using my speed so as to get the chore over with quicker. Thank god for vampire abilities. Sometimes I wonder how I ever got by without them.

Just as I'm putting the last box of cereal away, a knock echoes through the house and I grin as I go to answer it. Stiles was amusing to say the least. He was funny with his whole I'm-alot-cooler-than-I-actually-am attitude and while I liked Scott too, there was still something weird about him that I just couldn't take my mind off of. I needed to keep him close to me; keep an eye on him. But I did like him. He seemed like a sweet guys. But I pushed all thoughts away as I pulled open the door.

Stiles was leaning against one of the beams from the porch trying, unsuccessfully, to look sexy. The sides of my lips itched to smile, but I kept myself in check, not wanting to burst his cute little bubble. Me and this boy were going to get along, I could already tell.

Scott was standing right in the middle of the porch, looking a little awkward, but desperately trying not too. I rolled my eyes at the pair and motioned them inside.

They walked in, looking around with wide eyes. I giggled quietly and shut the door. Stiles flopped on the couch like he lived here and I had to admit, it was sort of refreshing. I wasn't up for the whole awkward first hang out talk and I was almost one hundred percent positive Stiles would make that impossible anyways. Scott sat down tentatively and glanced around.

I rolled my eyes again and strutted towards the kitchen calling, "Want anything to drink?" over my shoulder.

"Have any Coke?" Stiles asked.

"Of course." I answered. "Scott?"

"Coke's fine." He said.

I walked back into the living room and tossed their drinks at them. Stiles smiled and Scott seemed to relax the tiniest bit. I don't know if the drink had anything to do with that, but seeing his tense shoulders fall made me feel a little better.

But as I popped my soda open, my nose picked up on the strongest smell coming from somewhere close. I was sure it wasn't Scott, because while I had noticed the differences in odor when he showed up, he didn't smell as strong as this, by far.

I ran to the front door, barely managing to keep from using my supernatural abilities. I wrenched the door open and took a few delicate steps out onto the porch. I distantly heard Stiles and Scott calling, "Caroline?" but I ignored them.

"Do you smell that?" I asked aloud, which I knew right away, was a mistake. Even if the scent had been strong to me, there was a very good chance that they wouldn't have smelled it if it smacked them in the face.

I glanced back at them to find Stiles staring at me funny and Scott… staring at me with huge, round eyes; knowing eyes. My eyebrows furrowed and I turned towards him slowly. He had smelled it, whatever it was. And I was just about to question him when another strong gust of that smell whacked me in the face. The addition of rustling leaves close to my left wasn't reassuring. I took off, using my speed and worrying about compelling Scott and Stiles later. Whatever I smelled felt slightly threatening and I didn't like to be threatened; especially so soon after moving away from all things threatening. Cough, Mystic Falls, cough.

Sadly, If only my mind hadn't been so distracted while running, I would've noticed the hulking figure running alongside me _before_ it attacked. It knocked me to the ground and we went rolling in the fallen leaves. This thing on top of me growled and I felt the veins around my eyes swell. Not good.

We came to an abrupt halt and the thing wrapped its hands around my wrists and bound them to the forest floor. Wait… its hands? I stopped myself from thrashing around long enough to get a good look at the creature on top of me. It was almost human, but its features were… wolf like. Piercing blue eyes, a flattened nose, scruff along the side of its face.

It-he stared at me for a moment, teeth elongated, heavy breaths coming from his mouth, when it drew back slowly and started to transform. The scruff receded and his eyes changed to a normal color. His whole face changed, until it was just a man lying on top of me.

"What are you?" He breathed, voice deep and raspy.

"Derek!"

The man, who I'm assuming is 'Derek', turned to glance behind him and I took the opportunity to flip him on his backside, taking his wrists tightly in my hands and pushing them down to the ground. He stared up at me, incredulous, even though he clearly knew I was not human.

"Don't you know it's rude to play rough with a woman who is unsuspecting?" I snarled.

"By how fast you ran from your house, I think it's safe to say you were suspecting." He growled back.

I pulled back a little. Witty.

"Caroline…" Scott said.

I didn't take my eyes from 'Derek' but asked quietly, "What?"

"… Are you a werewolf too?" Scott asked slowly.

I smiled down at my prisoner and shook my head before leaping up and away from him. I was standing beside Stiles now and he jumped at my sudden appearance. He glanced from Derek back to where I stood now and, after a moment, threw his hands up in the air, exasperated.

I held down the giggle since this was clearly not the time and turned towards Scott, "No, I'm not."

He glanced back at Derek who was getting to his feet, giving me the death glare. I refrained from rolling my eyes. Egotistical men.

"Then what are you?" He asked.

I glanced at each one of them before settling back on Scott and blew out a breath as I announced, "I'm a vampire."

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><p>"How can you be a freakin' vampire?" Scott asked, frustrated.<p>

"How can you be a werewolf?" I countered.

He crossed his arms looking like he was on the verge of tears. I didn't actually think he'd cry, but he really seemed that frustrated. I sighed and leaned back against my couch. All of us, including Derek were standing or sitting in my living room. Stiles was hanging off my every word, hoping to know more about the supernatural, Scott, like I said, was more than baffled and Derek was standing in the corner, still glaring at me. He hadn't said a word since I'd told them what I was.

"A little while back, I was in a car accident. They weren't sure whether or not I'd make it. Another vampire fed me their blood because it speeds along the healing process. While I was in the hospital later that night, a different vampire came in and killed me. Because I had vampire blood in my system when I died, I woke up like this. Undead or whatever you'd like to call it." I spilled.

"Do you still age?" Stiles asked.

"No."

"So... you're stuck like that forever?" Scott asked.

I glanced down at my interlaced fingers and quietly said, "Yes."

"Does silver affect you?" Stiles asked.

I held up the silver chain dangling from my neck for him to see and he shrugged and nodded, "What about wood? Like wooden stakes?"

I eyed each one of them closely, especially Derek, but sighed and nodded, "Can kill me."

I heard Derek exhale audibly and he sat down in the small love seat closest the corner he'd previously been occupying and leaned his elbows on his knees, entwining his fingers. He studied me carefully and his eyes flashed that unnatural blue color again. I felt my eyes darken, the veins swelling again and my canines lengthen; a reaction to what he'd done.

All three boys leaned back slightly and stared, open mouthed at me. Well, only Scott and Stiles had their jaws on the floor, but Derek had a dangerous glint in his eyes. He nodded, "Is there anything else that hurts you? For example, we can't even touch wolfs bane."

I nodded, "Vervain." I looked between all three males and asked, "So you're all werewolves except Stiles?"

Stiles grumbled quietly to himself and leaned back against the couch, confirming what I knew. I smiled.

"Vervain; good to know." Derek said.

I snapped my head towards him and hissed. He chuckled arrogantly, "Don't get your panties in a twist. You know that wolfs bane affects us too."

I retracted my fangs and held back the swelling, a sudden grin dancing across my lips. "That's right. It's a good thing I have some with me, I guess."

Derek tensed and glared at me. I laughed quietly while Scott asked, "Why do you have wolfs bane?"

"My best friend, back in Mystic Falls, is a werewolf. On the full moon, we had to chain him up so he wouldn't turn and hurt anybody. He forced himself to drink a mixed solution of water and wolfs bane to weaken him. I always kept some with me." I explained.

Scott has this little glimmer of hope shining in his eyes. He smiled slightly at Stiles and Stiles just shrugged. I looked between the both of them, "Want to let me in on the secret?"

Scott shook his head, the smile still plastered to his face and said, "It's just that, we were trying to figure out a way to keep from hurting anyone on the full moon. I think you just helped, Caroline."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Are you both _really_ that dangerous? I mean, do you even actually turn into a wolf?" I asked skeptically.

Derek growled at me and it echoed through out my house. I held up my hands and stared at him, "Just asking. You were like a... half and half thing earlier."

"We're betas. The way you saw me earlier is as far as we transform. I'm assuming your friend back home was an alpha." He told me.

"I guess so."

Scott grumbled out loud and ran his hands through his hair, disheveling it further. "Is there anything else I should know about? Werewolves, vampires... don't tell me there are _fairies_."

I laughed, "No, not that I know of, but there are witches. I have a friend, Bonnie, back home who's a witch."

Scott fell into a chair and covered his face with his hands. Poor kid, didn't know the half of it.

Derek leaned back in his own chair and crossed his arms. "I suppose we should tell you about The Alpha."

"Sounds mysterious." I laughed.

Derek eyed me and gave me this look that wiped the emotion from my face. So it was time for more serious topics, I guess.

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><p><strong>Didn't have time to reread and edit. I'm sorry. But let me know what you think. I know it's not great, but it will be soon (: Review?<strong>


	3. Barbie

**A/N:** _Holy poop you guys, it has been waaaaay too long, I am so very SORRY. But I'm back and full of inspiration and our two shows are coming back very soon, just expect more updates out of me (: Sorry again about the whole not updating for... a long freaking time._

_I love every single one of you and thank you so much for reviewing and favoriting this story and me as an author. It really makes my day and I know every person in the world who writes Fanfiction says this, but I really enjoy you guy's reviews, so even if it's just like, "Great job!" I don't care, tell me(: Thanks again and onto the story!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or Teen Wolf of any of their characters.**_

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><p>I sat back into the couch, staring off into space. Why couldn't I get away from bad shit? I finally move away from freaking Mystic Falls trying to get away from my past and all the crazy vampire stuff and now I've successfully landed myself in an equally dangerous situation, this time with werewolves, who could very well kill me with just one bite. Damn vampires, damn werewolves, damn the freaking supernatural!<p>

I groaned quietly and then sighed, closing my eyes and leaning my head back. Why me?

I heard the small vibrations of Scott's phone beginning to ring before it made a noise and I turned to him quickly, "Answer that."

His eyebrows furrowed for a split second until his phone blasted some rock song and he stared at me a moment before standing up and walking out on to the porch, glancing back at me a few times. Stiles looked between Derek and me uncomfortably, probably because we were staring each other down. Derek hadn't actually done anything yet, but his sharp blue eyes made me nervous and it worried me that we were so evenly matched. I thought that if I came here and somehow managed to find trouble, I'd be able to defend myself easily. I just didn't expect to find trouble this quickly and not have the upper hand as well. Unfair.

"I, uh … bathroom?" Stiles asked.

My eyes didn't leave Derek's, "Down the hall, first and only door on the right."

Stiles glanced between us a few more times and then stood up quickly, practically jogging to the bathroom.

Derek's eyebrows furrowed and he growled quietly, "Don't think about trying anything stupid, Barbie. You know I can take you."

"Don't threaten me, Sunshine. _You_ know we're equally matched."

We sat there, Derek on the edge of his seat, me on the edge of mine, both of us waiting for the other to do something. Minutes pass and all we can do is keep an eye on one another, wary of each other.

We continued to glare at each other until Scott came back in. He shoved his phone in his pocket and looked around for Stiles. "Where is he?"

Stiles burst through the hallway, "Right here, man."

"How convenient that you're done right as Scott comes back in, looking for you." Derek says.

I snicker and glance at the two teens standing next to each other. Stiles is giving Scott this strange look. I look between the two of them and barely catch the almost imperceptible nod that Scott gives his friend.

Scott hitches his thumb over his shoulder and says, "I've got to meet up with Allison-"

Derek shakes his head.

"-So I won't leave Stiles here for you to deal with."

I laugh quietly, "Okay. Coming back tomorrow?"

Scott nods, "Probably. I think we still need to know more about… everything. Will you be at school tomorrow?"

I sigh inwardly. Somehow the concept of school had slipped my mind and I now find myself not wanting to go at all. For the sake of my new life though, and to keep an eye on Scott, I'll make myself get up in the morning and go. No matter how badly I now detest the idea of school. Honestly, what more could I learn that would really help my vampire lifestyle?

I get to my feet and walk them to the door, "Most likely."

"How old are you?" Derek questions from his spot on the love seat.

I go rigid. I hate the whole age topic, it depresses me severely. I'll never have kids, I'll never get married, and I'll never live in a cute little house with the cute little white fence. I'll never have grandkids that I can spoil, I'm just… stuck.

I turn to Derek slowly and try not to let my eyes mist over. I glance at him briefly and then back towards the ground, "I've been seventeen for almost three years now."

My eyes roam up until they meet Derek's again and he looks at me strangely before looking away and towards the floor too, "Oh."

Was that pity I saw in his eyes? A part of me wanted to growl at him and tell him where he could shove his pity, but… I refrained myself because another part of me welcomed it. I wanted him, all three of them, to know just how awful it was to be frozen in this one stage of my life. I wanted to offer him a small smile and tell him thank you for the words he hadn't spoken. Instead, I decided against both of them and nodded my head once before turning back towards Scott and Stiles.

I smile cheerfully at them, "So I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Scott smiled back and strode out to Stiles' jeep, but Stiles himself stayed where he was and opened his arms wide for a hug. I rolled my eyes, but stepped into his embrace and squeezed him tight. Maybe a little tighter than I should have. He squeaked quietly and I laughed evilly. When he pulled back, he glared at me playfully. I laughed and shoved him out the door, closing it quickly behind him.

I stayed still, facing the door, my hands resting on the wood gently. Without turning around, I asked, "Did you see that nod?"

I heard him stand and I turned to face him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at me through his dark lashes, "I wouldn't worry about it. Stiles will probably just tell him that we were "being hostel" to each other earlier."

I crossed my arms and furrowed my eyebrows, "Seriously, what's your deal with me? I don't want to be involved in this any more than you probably want me to be."

He took a few steps forward and stopped, "I have enough shit to deal with without having to add 'Vampire Barbie' to the list."

I uncrossed my arms and flew at him, so fast I even surprised myself. I held fistfuls of his shirt and shoved him against the wall, breathing heavily in his face. "What. Is. Your. Problem?"

His hands circled my wrists and he yanked them from his shirt, spinning us around and shoving _me_ against the wall almost as fast as I had. My hands were pinned to the wall behind me and he kept his body flush against mine.

"Stop doing that." He hissed.

I laughed cynically, "What? Over powering you?"

He bared his teeth and snapped them menacingly. Instinctively, I felt the veins under my eyes swell and my fangs extend to full length. In turn, his eyes turned that ice blue color and his nails dug a little deeper in my wrists.

We remained that way, at each other's throats, for forever it seemed. He needed to pull that stick out of his ass.

"What now?" I growled.

"Now," he took a decent amount of steps back, "I leave."

A memory flashed through my head and I suddenly remembered Scott and Stiles yesterday, telling me that their 'friend' lived in the burned down house a little ways away. The Caroline that I sometimes really hated kicked in and I called out to Derek's retreating figure.

"Wait."

He turned around slowly.

I sighed heavily. He was totally going to think I was bipolar or something; wanting to kill him one second and inviting him to stay over the next. I sighed again and ran a hand through my hair, "Uhm, Scott mentioned that you lived in some burned down house…?"

His eyebrows pull together slightly and he nods. I take a deep breath. "You can, uh, stay here if you want. I don't plan on having a lot of people over and there are like, three extra bedrooms."

He just stares at me and for the first time that day, us looking at each other feels awkward. I shuffle my feet and glance away from him, desperately wanting him to hurry up and give me his answer. I gaze back over at him and this time, he looks away from me.

"No thanks."

I nod, "Okay."

He takes a few steps over to me and then stops suddenly. My eyes pull up to look at him and one side of his mouth twitches up slightly, "But thank you."

I chuckle breathily and nod, so glad it's not awkward anymore. He smiles just a tad bit bigger and then disappears out the door.

I stare after him. I can feel the blood in my veins coursing faster than usual. Strange.

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><p>The school day is half over now and I'm thanking god that I've already learned most of this stuff, because I can't pay attention worth crap. I decide to go outside for lunch, needing the fresh air and desperately wanting to get away from all these high school kids. Not that I was much older than them or anything, but I hope to god I was more mature than them.<p>

"Caroline."

I spin around and find Derek leaning casually against a tree. I look around nervously hoping no teachers are watching me. I'm not so sure they'd react nicely seeing a high school student hanging on school property with a… well, however old he was. Not that I was even technically a high school student anymore, but, well I couldn't explain otherwise.

I stalked up to him and crossed my arms, glancing around again. "What?"

"Have you seen Scott?" he asked.

"During passing periods. Why?"

"If you see him again, tell him I need to see him. Okay?"

"What's this about?" I ask, curious.

"It's about the hunters and his little girlfriend. Can you just tell him to meet me later?"

I stood my ground, "I want to know what's going on, Derek."

"No."

"Excuse me? I got pulled into all this bullshit unwillingly," I took a step towards him, veins swelling, "So tell me."

He huffed in annoyance and looked around the same way I'd been doing, before grabbing the lapels of my leather jacket and pulling me farther into the little cluster of woods. I gazed up at him incredulously, about to gripe at him, but he covered my hand with his mouth and pulled me against him, directly behind a huge tree.

I squirmed, but he tightened his grip and nodded his head towards the opening. I listened and found that two teachers were walking by slowly, talking about all the students that were leaving campus for lunch when they weren't supposed to.

He waited a few seconds after they left before softly pushing me away from him. I straightened my jacket and glared at him. He pushed his hands into his pockets and just stared at me.

"Are you going to tell me or what?" I asked, exaggerated.

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

He rolled his eyes and started telling me what'd happened last night. On his way home from my house, he'd come close to a run in with the Hunters, who I was told was Allison's dad and his friends. He said that he'd been following them and found that they were planning on finding out whether or not Scott was what they believed him to be, which, obviously he was. They came up with a plan to convince Allison to invite him to the house. So basically, I needed to get to Scott before Allison did, which might be hard considering they'd already seen each other today and she very well could have already asked him.

"Don't you think he'll listen if we just tell him what's going to happen?" I ask Derek.

He shrugged, "Sure he'll listen, but you haven't seen him around the Argent girl. He's like… a love sick puppy."

We glanced at each other at the same time and I tried hard to bite back the giggle. Derek shook his head, probably thinking me immature. I couldn't help it.

"Just go find Scott and tell him what I told you." He turns to leave.

I raise an eyebrow, "I'm not your mule."

He grumbles quietly to himself and turns to face me, a fake smile plastered to his face, "Pretty please?"

I glare at him and then let up quickly, "Well when you ask that way."

He chuckles quietly and I wink at him. He takes a step back, but before he can leave I ask, "How old are you anyway?"

"Twenty-two… why?"

I shrugged, "I just thought how great it'd be for me to get caught talking to a twenty-two year old. Of course, I couldn't fill in that blank earlier, so I wondered."

He rolls his eyes, a very small smile tugging at his lips and turns to leave again, "Later Barbie."

I roll my own eyes and inconspicuously leave our hidey spot to head back to the lunch room, in search of Scott.

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><p><strong>AN:** _Did I do a good job? Let me know. MORE UPDATES VERY SOON :D _

_R-R-R-Review(:_


	4. The Argent Girl

**A/N: **_Hey!(: Chapter four is here. I'm so glad you all like this story. Read and Review cause I really would like to know what every one of you think(: Thanks guys!_

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><p>I don't see Scott until the end of the day. He's walking hand in hand with a brunette girl and I can't help but scrunch my nose. How can she really not know about the business her family is involved in? It didn't quite make sense to me, so I had no choice but to be a little wary around her. Plus, if she made Scott as sappy and weak as Derek implied, she seemed… dangerous, in a way. I'd be keeping an eye on her.<p>

"Scott."

He and the brunette, Allison, turn around and she immediately eyes me. She's jealous; and while I harbor no romantic feelings towards Scott, I feel a surge of pride. Intimidating her would be good; I'd be able to keep her in check easily.

"What's up?" He asks, oblivious to his girlfriend's tense stance and judging eyes. I smile inwardl

"We need to talk." I give him a knowing look and he understands quickly. He turns to the Argent girl and she raises her eyebrows, silently asking if he's seriously going to just leave her to come talk to me. I bite back a laugh and I'm not so sure it goes unnoticed. I cross my arms, a slight smirk on my face, and stare at the concrete, waiting for him to say good-bye.

"I'll just be a minute…" He tells her, trailing off. He glances over at me, wondering if it really would just be a moment or if he'd have to say good-bye for now. I shake my head and he understands that he can't stay. Derek wanted to talk to him regardless of my passing along the message.

He sighs and turns back to Allison. She's upset.

"Hey Caroline." Stiles strides over to us and parks himself next to me, as we wait for Scott.

"Hey Stiles."

Allison watches our encounter and stares at me, accusingly. I roll my eyes, but sigh and give in, deciding to give her a small break. "We'll wait over there, Scott, hurry."

He nods and pulls Allison a few feet away as Stiles and I walk in the opposite direction. We stop at his jeep and I jump up on the hood, taking a seat. Stiles leans against the grill, next to me. I stare down at the concrete, but focus my attention on my ears so as to hear what Scott and Allison are saying.

"_Who is she, Scott?"_

"_She just moved here, she uh… she's a family friend." Scott lies._

I snicker.

"_A family friend? Okay. But what's so important that you need to talk about? We're still on for tonight, right?" She asks._

"_Of course. I'll just meet you at your house later tonight."_

"_Mkay."_

I hear their kiss and abruptly tune them out. I glance up at the pair and find them finishing up, Scott heading over here. I look down at Stiles and he's staring up at me, an awed expression on his face.

"What?"

"You were listening to them weren't you?" He asks, although I have the feeling he already knows the answer.

I chuckle quietly, "Yeah."

Scott sighs when he reaches us. He looks between Stiles and I and hitches his back pack further up on his shoulder.

"What's going on?" He asks.

I look around at the rest of the students, piling into their cars or loitering around, bullshitting and tell him simply, "You're not going to Allison's tonight."

I hear his sharp intake of breath and his heart beat pick up just a tad. He's getting angry. I glance back at him casually, my arms wresting on my knees, feet tucked into the grill of Stiles' jeep. I clasp my hands together and stare at him, waiting for his protests.

"The hell I'm not. Who're you to tell me what I'm not going to do. I hardly know you, _Barbie_."

My veins swell and I fly off the jeep, straight at Scott. Instead of getting in his face like I'd planned, I run into something hard and big. I take a step back and come face to face with the back of Derek's leather jacket. I glare holes into the back of his head, but listen quietly to what he tells Scott.

"She's only letting you know what I told her to tell you, so stop being a dick." He tells Scott, casually.

I come out from behind Derek and glare at him for stopping me. I turn to Scott and glare at him too. He looks away, sheepish. I sigh and uncross my arms, instead, placing a hand on my hip.

"Okay, quit upsetting Scott and tell him why he can't go to Allison's." I motion towards the chocolate eyed teen to my right.

Derek moves his eyes to mine, "I was getting there, _Caroline_."

"Well hurry up, _Derek_. I have my own personal experiences with angry werewolves and I'd like to avoid one if it's alright with you."

He turns back to Scott grudgingly and Stiles mutters, "Sound like an old married couple."

Derek and I both let out low growls directed towards Stiles and he backs up a few steps, hands up in surrender. "Just an observation."

I roll my eyes and turn to Scott. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Derek still shooting daggers at Stiles who is looking everywhere but at Derek. I chuckle and then shove the laughs down. Scott was staring at the three of us, incredulous, waiting impatiently for what we had to say. I smiled; we needed to stop torturing the kid.

"Derek almost ran into the Hunters last night. He overheard them talking and Allison's dad said he was going to convince her to invite you over for dinner so he could see if you were… well, you know, a werewolf. You can't go, Scott."

The next instant, Scott looked heartbroken. His lips parted slightly and he stared blankly at the ground. "Do you think Allison's in on it?"

My heart broke for him. He so clearly loved this girl and now… now he wasn't even sure if he could trust her. Scott knew loving her was a risk and he'd dove right in anyway. My fingers curled into claws. It made me not like Allison even more. I'd known Scott, what, three days? Already I felt like we were close friends; Scott, Stiles and… even Derek. They were the only people I'd really gotten to know since moving here and I already felt a fierce protectiveness over… well, just Stiles and Scott. Derek could cold take care of himself for all I cared. Stupid egotistical wolf-man.

I shake my head, I was getting off track. I glanced up at Scott, "I don't know, but can you just promise you'll cancel your plans with her tonight? Nobody wants to see you get hurt."

Derek shrugged, "I kind of do."

I slug him in the shoulder and he winces. He tries to glare at me, but I see that amused glimmer in his eyes. He turns to Stiles, "You need to stay with him tonight. I know he'll try to stay away, but we both know how he is when it comes to _Allison_."

Derek spit her name and by the end of his sentence, had turned to look at Scott. Scott's eyebrows furrowed and he bared his teeth, hands hardening into fists. I cough quietly and step in between both of them. I place both my hands on their chests and shove them backwards. They both stumble a bit and I look between the two of them. "Cut it out."

Stiles says, "I can't stay with him tonight. My dad's been watching me super closely lately because of all the attacks. He doesn't want me to get hurt or something, so asking him will be a waste of time, he'll never go for it."

Derek growls and mumbles something about "freaking high school kids". I roll my eyes, "You're not exactly in your prime yet."

He glowers at me and I smirk. Scott interrupts our looks, "Honestly, I can handle it. I'll stay at home tonight. Promise."

I peek over at Derek and he's giving Scott this look, like, are you absolutely positive? Scott nods and Derek takes a deep breath. "Fine, but if you feel any of your resolve slipping, call one of us, got it? I can't take the Alpha down by myself and I sure as hell don't have time to come to your rescue if you decide to go see her."

Scott's eyebrows knit together, "I've got it." He turns to Stiles, "Can you please take me home now?"

Stiles nods and they get into his jeep. Stiles starts the engine and begins to pull out. I wave at them to stop and Scott rolls down the passenger side window.

"Before you go, call her right now and tell her you can't come." I demand, knowing that if he did it while he was alone, he'd probably give in to her "charms" and agree to go.

"Can't I do it when I get-"

"Now." Derek commands from right behind me.

Scott grumbles to himself and dials Allison's number quickly. He glances at Derek and me and I mouth 'speaker phone'. He does as told and the ringing of his phone fills the silence between the four of us.

"Hello?" She answers.

Scott sighs and right down to it, "Allison, I have some bad news about tonight."

I hear her laugh bitterly, "You're seriously not coming? Does this have anything to do with that blonde 'family friend' of yours?"

I quirk an eyebrow. More jealous than I thought.

"No, it's just… my mom called and said she wanted to… have dinner with me or something. We don't get to much anymore cause she works so late and all-anyways, I'm really sorry. Can we reschedule?"

She sighs deeply, "Yeah, that's fine. Call me later, okay?"

Scott glances behind me. I look back quickly, Derek shakes his head no. Scott sighs quietly and lies, "Okay. Bye."

He turns to us, "There, happy?"

I shrug, "Sure. See you guys tomorrow."

Stiles waves and pulls out of the school parking lot. I stuff my hands in my pockets and start walking towards the house.

"Where are you going?" Derek calls.

"Home." I tell him.

He glances around the empty parking lot; not a car left. "You're going to walk there?"

I smirk at him evilly. "Run."

He cocks an eyebrow, "Won't that take forever?"

"Do you know how fast a vampire can run?"

"No."

I laugh, "I'd probably get there before you."

He chuckled, "Doubtful."

I stalk towards him, standing only a few inches away. I look up into those eyes, "Want to race?"

He laughs darkly, "Only if you let me give you a head start."

"I don't need it. Get in your car and start the engine. I promise I won't start until you pull out of the parking lot." I grin at him and spin on my heel. I walk over to the woods and stand at the edge. I look back at him and he's just standing there, watching me.

"Well?" I called.

He shakes his head and falls into the driver's seat, revving the engine. He pulls up to the exit and I see him glance at me through the tinted windows. He smirks and a split second later, peels out, into the street, racing towards my house. I turn and dash into the woods, pushing myself harder than I had in a while. I'll show that arrogant _dog_.

A mere three minutes later, I'm in the part of the woods surrounding my house. I grin and catch a glimpse of the dry leaved "drive way" of mine.

I accelerate forward and just as I burst through the trees, Derek's car screeches to a halt in front of my house so as not to run me over. I jump in the air, twisting gracefully over the hood of his car and landing steadily on my feet on the driver's side. Derek gawks at me through the wind shield. I giggle quietly and do a little victory dance.

"Why're you dancing? You didn't win." Derek says, stepping out of his car.

I frown, "I most certainly did, because you sure as hell didn't win."

He laughs and shoves his hands in his jacket pockets, "My car was already stopped in the driveway while you were flying through the air like a ballerina."

I scowl at him, "I'd been standing in the driveway before you stopped your car and I jumped over it. There for, I win."

"Whatever you say, Barbie."

I fling myself at him, knocking him to the ground. I straddle his waist and punch him in the gut, though not as hard as I can. He coughs for a moment, before clamping his big hands on my biceps and flipping us over. He sits on top of me and holds both my hands in his one above my head. He pinches my neck and I twitch away from him. It tickles more than it hurts and when I giggle he starts to poke me in the stomach, _hard_.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!" I shriek.

He does and I laugh while I look up at him. He smiles down softly at me, the smile so small; it's only just barely there. I see it though and it makes my stomach twist. Suddenly, it's gone and his eyes have widened just a little. He flies off me and stands way back, hands stuffed back in his pockets. I get to my feet and stare at him curiously. He refuses to meet my gaze.

"I've got some business to take care of you. I'll see you later." He jogs to his car, gets in and speeds away from me.

What the hell?

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><p><strong>AN: **_Maky, so I thought maybe at first that Derek was a little out of character, but we've never actually seen him when he's falling for someone, so I figured. this is how he'll react. Sorry if you don't like him this way, but this is how he'll be the rest of the story._

_Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you think! (: REVIEW and I'll send Derek to your house (;_


	5. Midnight Miracle

**A/N:** _Hey guys! Way too long, no excuse, I know, I know. Good news though. I'm posting this tonight, hopefully everyone will fully get a chance to read it tomorrow and then Tuesday, I should have another chapter up. There's a 95% chance that I will (: So count on it, and keep an eye open. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this and let me know what you think, because hello, reviews are life support. Love you guys! See you Tuesday!_

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><p>I stood, staring into the full length mirror hanging on my wall. I'd dawned a semi-skimpy cream colored nightgown, wanting to feel like an adult. It'd never crossed my mind to start wearing nightgowns like this back in Mystic Falls, even when I had a boyfriend because, let's face it, I never knew what would <em>magically materialize<em> in my bedroom when I had my back turned. I rolled my eyes.

Unbelievably enough, I was content here. I was on my own, away from my past, living the way I wanted to live. Not that I couldn't live any way I wanted back in Mystic Falls, but… what kind of life was it when my mother and I never had a real conversation, when I had to compel her, when the child was keeping her _mother_ safe. It just… wasn't the way things were supposed to be.

I glanced at the clock on my nightstand: eleven fifty-seven. I looked back at my face; my unchanging, frozen face. Three minutes until my twentieth birthday and I'd still be stuck in the same year. Seventeen forever. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I'd never have wrinkles, never get saggy skin, I'd never grow old… never be a grandmother.

I shook my head vigorously and sighed. For now I could push all bitter thoughts away, but only because I looked hot in this silky nightgown.

I _felt_ just the slightest upturn of my lips, but when I looked in the mirror again, my mouth seemed to be the same grim line. So I turned away from the mirror and fell on top of my bed, staring up at the ceiling and praying that I could make it through my birthday; that somehow, by some chance, I'd be granted a small miracle. I looked over at my clock: eleven fifty-nine. I glanced towards my ceiling again as if a ray of sunshine would burst through the night and shine right down on me reassuring me that everything would be alright, that maybe something great was coming… but no, I staid engulfed in only the dull yellow light of my bedside lamp.

Thunder cracked so loud that I jumped. And then I smiled bitterly, thinking that someone above was playing a nasty joke on me. Here I was, hoping for sunshine and in return, receiving a cold, dark storm. Ironic. I should have heard the thunder coming, but I hadn't even realized it'd been raining as hard as it was, too caught up in my own problems. I sigh quietly and collapse on my bed, picking at my nails.

Thunder claps again in the distance and for just a moment I think I'm hearing it's echo until I realize that the quieter thumps are footsteps on my porch. I jump off the bed and fly to the door, my hand on the cold brass knob when I stop and peek over my shoulder at the clock.

A minute passed midnight.

I creep down the stairs on my toes, moving like a ghost. I'd been kind of expecting Scott or Stiles to show up in case Scott did happen to have control issues, but they would've called first and knowing Stiles, he probably would've just walked in without knocking.

Instead of tip toeing up to the front door, I ease one of the living room windows open and step outside into the storm, pulling the window shut behind me. I stalk quietly around the side of the house and hold my breath, not wanting to alert anyone where I was.

After a second of trying to think of the best way to confront the person on my porch, I decide to "screw it" and I jog to the front yard and up the steps until I'm standing right behind, "Derek?"

I see the muscles in his back tense and don't even realize that he's spun around to face me until his animalistic blue eyes are shining in the dark and his teeth are bared down at me. My fangs extend and I crouch down into a predatory stance on instinct, my body ready for a fight even though my head knows he isn't going to attack.

I suck in a breath and consciously take note of my soaking wet state, trying to calm myself down.

"What're you doing here?"

He stares at me, his expression hard and cold until he sighs and his canines retract. He buries his hands deep in the pockets of his leather jacket and he glances away.

"I know that I…"

His voice trails off and his gaze rakes over my body. I notice his fingers curl into fists in his pockets and I see how tense his shoulders have gotten. His ice blue eyes flick away into the darkness and a moment later, those eyes meet mine again, burning.

I am suddenly jolted with the memory of the choice of clothes (or lack thereof) I'd chosen to wear tonight. I am so suddenly aware of the way the fabric is clinging to my skin and I cross my arms over my chest, in a hopeless effort to make him a little more comfortable.

"Sorry." I tell him, looking away from his face and instead, focusing on the streams of water pouring down the sides of the house, pooling in the swamp that is now my front yard.

I look back over at him cautiously and he shrugs carelessly, but his voice is hoarse, "It's your home, you can wear whatever you want."

I nod, the tension hasn't left, "Speaking of my home, what're you doing here?"

He scratched the back of his head roughly and looks out over the yard again, refusing to meet my eyes. My eyebrows furrow, I squint at him and in the midst of contemplating his insanity, I hear him mumble something about needing a place to stay, almost too quiet so that the storm around us drowns him out; almost.

"Oh yeah?" I smile.

He growls deep in his throat and I bite back a laugh. I take few steps towards him and see his body go rigid as I stop, not three inches from his face. He was almost half a foot taller than me and for some reason, his wolfy smell wasn't coma inducing, but pleasant, almost intoxicating. I almost considered closing my eyes and leaning against him, but figured he probably wouldn't like that too much.

Derek's hands come out of his pockets and they twitch towards me and the truly flattering part is, I don't even think he knows what he's doing. My stomach twists and gently, I place my hand on his chest. He leans down just a little bit, eyes squinted in curiosity and I push myself up just slightly and breathe out, "You're in my way."

I pull back and smirk wickedly. He stares down at me, blank and steps out of my way, but when I move past him, he snaps his teeth right in my ear. My eyes darken and my teeth ache to extend, but I'm smiling at him and he knows it.

I push open the front door and Derek follows me in slowly, hesitant. I shut the door behind him quietly and start towards the stairs. There is a guest bedroom downstairs, but something inside me wants him… closer. I don't bother thinking about it too closely, because I'm almost positive I wouldn't like the conclusion I came to in the end.

I open the door to the bedroom just across the hall from mine and let him walk in first. It was the room I ended up decorating in darker colors, just in case I ever got in a mood. Sometimes, a part of me craved the old wood-like structures and the deep crimsons that Stefan and Damon so often used in their own home. I'd made sure to have a room that… reminded me of a part of the past that I… enjoyed.

I shook my head gently, pulling myself out of my memories and focusing on the man in front of me.

He met my eyes reluctantly and breathed out through his nose heavily, "Thank you."

I nod, deciding that it'd be better of me not to joke about him needing some place to stay. Asking was already obviously hard enough for him as it was.

I turned to leave his room, but stopped in the doorway, furrowing my eyebrows for a moment, a million thoughts and memories running through my mind in one second. I turned my body back towards him only half way and said quietly, "It's okay to need other people… to need help."

For a long time, we stood there in silence, not looking at each other, not speaking to each other, until finally I heard him gently place his hands in his pockets and his voice whisper, "Goodnight Caroline."

I peeked over my shoulder and met his eyes once before turning away and shutting his door behind me quietly. I strode into my own room and closed the door, flopping down on the bed and staring up at the ceiling like I'd done earlier.

Again, I decided thinking about it would lead me no where I wanted to go, so with a vacant mind, I crawled under the large comforter and switched my lamp off, effortlessly falling into a deep sleep.

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><p><em>BANG. BANG. BANG.<em>

My eyes shot open and I dashed down the stairs and to the front door. I stopped only for a split second to reassure my ears what I'd heard the second I'd woken up. A strong, frantic heartbeat. I flung the door open and Stiles stumbled in, hands flying all over the place, eyes wild in panic. I looked out into the dark yard making sure no one and nothing was behind him before shutting the door and turning to face him.

"Stiles, what's wrong?"

He spun around to face me and started to spew words faster than even _I_ could comprehend.

"I tried calling Derek and I even thought about driving to his house, if you could call it that, but I decided to come here instead and I mean, it's not like I trust Derek over you cause let's face it, Derek scares the crap out of me, but it's just kind of habit right now to go to him if Scott is in trouble, but now that you moved here, maybe that will change, I mean, you seem capable enough to handle situations like these when me and Scott need you and-"

"Wait, what do you mean you thought about going to Derek's house? Where's Scott? Is he in trouble?"

Stiles took a deep breath and said, "I stayed up all night, researching some other things to help Scott with the full moon and I decided to call him to see how he was doing, but he didn't answer, so I said screw it and I drove over there and he isn't there, Caroline. I think he went to meet up with Allison."

I put a hand on my hip and rubbed my forehead with my other hand, closing my eyes in annoyance, "Shit."

"Then we need to leave."

I opened my eyes to find Derek coming down the stairs, throwing on a shirt and quickly pulling on his leather jacket. It'd stopped raining, but it was still cold outside. I nodded and started towards the stairs to go change when I heard an odd little squeak from Stiles.

I glanced back at him and he was staring bug eyed at Derek and I, standing maybe a little too close in proximity since I'd stopped just as I was passing him in front of the stairs.

I opened my mouth to say something, to tell him that it really wasn't what it looked like, but I grumbled and waved towards Derek, "Please explain to him. I have to change."

As I ran upstairs, I heard Stiles ask, "Are you two-"

"No."

"But you didn't have a shirt on and she… well she was-"

"Shut up." Derek growled.

I snickered and threw on some jeans, a tank top and my own leather jacket. I laced up my boots as quickly as I could and rejoined the boys downstairs.

"Let's go." I demanded and we all raced out the door and into my car.

Scott better hope that I don't get my hands on him.


	6. Male Nurse

**A/N:** _Hello my lovlies! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I know that I've lost some readers due to my inability to post a chapter more than once every four months and that's completely my fault. Lord knows I've stopped reading stories when they NEVER get updated, BUT for those of you who have stuk around, thank you so much. It means a lot. I hope I'm doing the characters justice and I hope you all like this. I love all of you!_

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><p>"Could you possibly drive any faster?"<p>

I turned my head slowly so I could glare holes into Derek's face while keeping a steady foot on the gas, doing a solid eighty-five. Derek's eyes actually flickered nervously to the road that I wasn't looking at and behind me, Stiles made little noises of protest. Out of my peripherals, I saw him stretch a hand out to put on my shoulder, but he must have thought better of it, because he retracted his arm quickly and squeaked out my name.

I kept my gaze on Derek and growled, "I'm doing over eighty in a fifty-five mile an hour zone, so shut up."

Derek leaned forward, irritation and uneasiness rolling off of him in waves, "If Scott makes it to Allison's, I'm screwed. Do you understand that?"

"I don't want Scott captured or hurt any more than you do!" I yelled.

"I don't care if he's hurt or heartbroken or whatever, I just need him alive and coherent." He argued.

I rolled my eyes and turned them back to the road. Stiles sighed in relief behind me and thumped back against the seat. I kept my eyes peeled, forcing them to see beyond the dark and the trunks of forest on either side of us. We were getting closer and closer to Allison's house with no sign of Scott and I was starting to worry we were too late.

We turned on the last long, winding road before Allison's house and I prayed to any God above that he was near.

"Slow down."

I turned to Derek and found him unbuckled and staring out the window. His body was rigid and his hand was on the door handle, ready to jump out at any second.

"I can smell him." He muttered and I sniffed the air quickly, ignoring Stiles and Derek's scents and focusing more on the hot air coming through the vents. All I could smell were some smaller animals, some damp flowers, the plant-

There. I had him. I opened my eyes and slammed down on the break, bringing the car to a halt on the side of the road. I threw the car in park and ripped my seat belt off. I turned back to Stiles for a split second and commanded, "Stay here."

Derek escaped the car before I could even get my door open and I mumbled profanities while fleeing the car. Allison's house lights were just visible through the trees, but we were still about a mile away.

Up ahead, Derek and Scott were already wrestling in the wet leaves and I hissed loudly when I heard one of them howl out in pain. Grabbing the closest leather jacket, I tossed one of them twenty feet away from the other. And getting quickly to his feet twenty feet away, was Scott, who was way angrier then I'd seen him. I crouched down into my predatory stance again and hissed at him, my fangs lengthening without a thought.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I can handle myself Caroline!"

"Yeah?" I snarled, "Because from where I'm standing, you look completely out of control."

"I'm not!" He roared.

I straightened up and placed a hand on my hip, quirking an eyebrow. Scott stood there, ruggedly drawing in breaths, crouched down like an animal ready to attack. His hands were contorted into claws and curled menacingly. He'd become the half wolf/half man thing that I'd seen Derek turn into before. My heart fluttered with the idea that Scott might be just as out of control as Tyler was when in wolf form. Tyler and Scott weren't much farther apart in age, but the idea of attacking Scott made my stomach churn. He was… a kid, a little brother maybe. I was always able to rationalize attacking Tyler in my head when he really needed to be brought down a level, but I wasn't so sure I could do that to Scott. I didn't want to hurt him, even if necessary, any more than he probably wanted to truly hurt me.

One bite was all it took and I'd be dead within a few days, a week at most. So aside from not wanting to physically fight with him, if it came to that, I'd have to be careful not to hurt him too bad and also make sure to keep myself well protected.

I kept my voice even, "Just calm down, Scott. Let us take you home and we can-"

"I'm not going home, Caroline."

"Then we can go back to my house if you don't want to go home. " I tried to compromise.

"Allison's expecting me," he growled, "Get out of my way."

"You can't go there like this, Scott. They'll kill you! Or torture you. Who knows what they'll do!" I yelled.

"Move." His voice was calm now; deadly calm… frighteningly calm. I took a step forward even though my instincts were screaming at me to take flight. His name was barely out of my mouth when he turned his face to the moon and howled. It echoed in the forest and ricocheted off the trees, bouncing around my sensitive ear drums. I covered them with my hands and keeled over in pain. Before I had the chance to compose myself, I was being knocked to the ground. My hands and arms flew out and were working on their own accord to keep something off of me. I glanced up and saw Scott's vicious face staring back down at me. His teeth were snapping at my face, over and over again, trying to tear me apart. I cried out and wrapped a hand around his throat.

"Scott!"

I tried to push him further away from me, but his arms lashed out at me and the majority of my left arm was left shredded and bleeding. A scream left my throat and I felt the warm tears sliding down my cheeks. I struggled harder even though the pain was over-whelming me.

The next second, he was gone and I thought maybe he regained some self-control at the last minute, but when I sat up to see Derek holding Scott by the front of his shirt, I didn't even care that I needed his help, I was only grateful that he was there.

I got to my feet quickly, but stopped and glanced down wearily at my injured arm. My jacket was destroyed and when I tried to remove it, it only caused me to whimper in pain. I gritted my teeth and used every ounce of supernatural speed left in my body to remove the jacket as quickly as possible.

I threw the scrap of leather against the nearest tree, but not before screaming in pain. My body trembled and my stomach twisted into knots, but I held myself together and strode over to where Derek was pummeling Scott into the ground.

Derek's fist was raised to throw another punch when I called his name. He froze and turned to look at me for a second before getting to his feet and staring down at Scott, a deep growl lodged in his throat. Scott barely managed to stand, holding his stomach with one hand, a deep gash running along the side of his face. He looked a bit confused for a moment, but when his eyes landed on me, they turned wide and scared and he took a step towards me. My muscles tightened, but I stayed in place, knowing he wasn't going to hurt me again.

"Caroline…" His voice was small and scared and he looked between Derek and me, helplessly.

"I'll be fine." I lied. I shuffled my feet. I didn't know for sure what was going to happen. I knew that a wolf bite could kill, but… could they kill you like this? I refused to look down it, mentally referring to it as "my scratch", but deep down I knew it was bad and if I were human, I'd have lost too much blood to even be conscious right now. Regardless, the pain was radiating up my arm and spreading through my entire body. There was a slight chance the injury wouldn't kill me, but it was still affecting me as a vampire. I caught a glimpse of my shoulder and noticed that my veins were starting to become more apparent, their color darkening to a deep gray.

I closed my eyes briefly to try and regroup, but when I did, my sensitive ears caught the sound of squashing leaves. I would've believed it to be an animal, but there were many squashing sounds and all too heavy to be even a large buck.

My eyes flew open and I whispered, "Someone's coming. We've got to get out of here."

Derek turned to Scott and barked out, "Get to the car and be ready for us."

Scott nodded weakly and took off in the other direction, still moving incredibly fast for someone who had just gotten the crap punched out of them.

Derek turned to me and just as I was about to reassure him that I'd be okay to make it back to the car, I wobbled and almost toppled to the forest floor. He moved quick, stepping to my other side and throwing my right arm over his shoulder while wrapping his arm around my waist. I leaned against him and took a deep breath.

"You have to run." He told me in a rugged voice.

I nodded and together, we moved as fast as we could back to the car. It wasn't fast enough. We were only half way there when we heard heavier footsteps not all that far behind us. Derek grumbled and swatted at the back of my knees, pulling me up into his arms. He hefted me up and took off in a dead sprint. I leaned against him and not that much time later, I heard Stiles.

"Is she alright?"

"I don't know, just get in the car and get us out of here." Derek told him.

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><p>A little while later (I couldn't tell you how much time had passed), Stiles skidded the car to a stop in front of my house and Derek carried me inside and set me down gently on the couch. He kneeled down next to me and pushed my sweayt hair off my forehead.<p>

"What do we do?" Scott asked from somewhere behind me.

"I'm not sure." Derek mumbled.

"Why does the wound look like that?" Stiles asked. "I know she lost a lot of blood, but you can see all her… veins; like her skins turning transparent."

I didn't even have the energy to roll my eyes. Did they not know that vampires and werewolves were mortal enemies? Didn't they freaking know that I could very well die from this?

"Blood." I grumbled out.

"What?" Stiles asked. I think he heard me; he was just making sure he heard me right. Way to irritated me when I'm half dead Stiles!

"She said blood. How're we supposed to get her blood?" Scott asked.

It was silent for a minute until I heard Derek say, "Stiles, hold your wrist out."

"What?" He screeched, "No way! Why don't you put _your_ wrist in her mouth?"

I could audibly hear Derek grit his teeth, "There's a high chance this is happening in reaction to Scott because he's a werewolf, and it'll probably only make things worse if she drinks our blood. You're the only human here, so give me your fucking wrist."

Stiles whimpered and asked in a small voice, "What if she drinks me dry?"

If I wasn't in severe, brain shattering pain, I would have laughed. Instead, I tugged my lips up in a small smile and said slowly, "Go in the hallway, second door on the left is the basement. Go downstairs, the fridge is stocked with blood bags. Get a few."

"Blood… bags?" Scott asked.

"Go!" Derek barked.

I heard scampering feet and a moment later, I heard the basement door open and Scott and Stiles' freaked out whispers. I laughed breathily, but when Derek's hand smoothed my hair back again, I stopped and peeled my eyes open to look over at him.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked.

"Honestly?"

Derek sighed, "No, I want you to lie again."

I smiled and closed my eyes, feeling extremely more tired than I was five minutes ago. "I don't know for sure. A werewolf bite can kill a vampire, but I'd have to call Bonnie about this."

"The witch?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, "She'll know what to do. Now let me sleep."

I put my hand on his face and pushed him away gently. His hand circled my wrist and he laid it down gently on my stomach. "You can't go to sleep. Scott and Stiles will be back in a second."

As if on cue, I heard their footsteps running back up the stairs, shutting the door behind them. I opened my eyes and found them standing there, each with two blood bags in their hands, staring at me uncertainly. I sat up slowly and Scott handed me one. I tore at it, but before I put it to my lips, I looked back up at all three of them. Yes, Caroline Forbes was self-conscious about drinking blood in front of her dog friends... and her human friend. I didn't want them to see me looking like an animal.

"Don't look." I told them.

Scott and Stiles spun around and faced the wall, whistling quietly. I glanced over at Derek and he just sat there, on my coffee table, staring me down and waiting for me to proceed. I sighed and brought the bag to my lips. My eyes fluttered shut and I took a deep breath in through my nose. I sucked and sucked and… the bag was gone.

I opened my eyes and found Derek had taken it. He threw it on the table beside him, snatched another bag out of Stiles' hand and ripped the top off, handing it to me. I wasn't sure why he was so eager to feed me blood, but when he looked down at my wound with raised eyebrows, I knew it must be helping, at least a little bit. So I took the second bag from him and sucked that one dry as well.

I drank all four and when the last one was thrown on the table, I sighed and leaned back against the couch. My arm felt so much better, but I knew it wasn't healed yet. I'd have to call Bonnie tomorrow and explain what'd happened. Oh, she'd just love to hear that I'd landed myself in anther town full of things that could kill me. I sighed, not exactly wanting to make the call anymore.

"We should get going." Stiles said and smiled at me before heading towards the door. I nodded and smiled at him in return. Derek stood with the empty bags and headed to the kitchen. Scott stood there motionless, with his arms crossed, refusing to meet my gaze. I smiled at him and said in a tired voice, "I'll be fine Scott, just go home and get some sleep. We'll figure everything out tomorrow."

His eyebrows furrowed, "What about tonight? How are you going to take care of yourself? What if you need something?"

I smirked and winked at him, "I've appointed Derek my official nurse."

He walked back in then and sighed, rolling his eyes, "Great."

Scott glanced at him, unsure, standing there a moment longer. Finally, he sighed and picked up the blanket that was thrown over the loveseat. He draped it over me slowly and made sure to be careful around my arm. He righted himself and mumbled sorry one more time.

I grinned devilishly at him, "Payback's a bitch."

He shook his head, but chuckled quietly and mumbled a "see ya later" to Derek before shutting the door behind him quietly. I turned my head back to Derek and raised an eyebrow.

His arms were crossed and he was leaning casually against the wall, a tired expression on his face. There was a hard look back in his eyes though. I'd be damned if we were going back to _that_ stage. I wasn't having it.

"What?" He asked.

I held my right arm out in the air and demanded, "Carry me to my room."

He smirked, like he thought I was insane, but when all I did was continue to stare at him, he cursed me under his breath and slipped his arms beneath me. I smacked him in the chest and snuggled closer to him, my eyes fluttering shut again.

"I heard that, asshole."

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><p><strong>AN: **_So... that wasn't too horridly awful, right? (: Let me know!_


	7. My Boys

**A/N: **_Baaaaaack (: Sorry for the long wait. Uhm, who saw the first new episode of "Teen Wolf"? Sooo good and Derek, looking mighty fine as always, lol. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this chapter, there isn't anything super exciting going on, but there will be in the next few chapters, so expect that. Now that school is out for a while and Teen Wolf is back, I hope to be posting more frequently. I think I actully missed the last 3 "Vampire Diaries" eipsodes, but that's alright, I'll find them. OR! If anyone knows where I can watch them online, e-mail me the link! (rylee - star hotmail . com) - no spaces of course. And you guys, I haven't been writing much of anything lately, so I'm kind of off right now, like it's not as good, but hopefully I'll fall back into the flow of writing soon, so yeah(: BLAH! Okay, so read on and let me know what you all think (:_

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><p>"You got mauled by a werewolf?"<p>

I squeezed my eyes shut tight and mumbled weakly, "Well… yeah."

"Caroline! The only reason Elena and I didn't throw a fit when you told us you were leaving, is because we thought you'd be _safe_."

"I know Bonnie, I know, and although I have landed smack dab in the middle of another… sticky situation, I really like it here! I've already made good friends here and I… I just need your help with this one thing. Please?" I begged.

"There's a boy, isn't there?" Bonnie asked, using that special tone of voice that betrayed her irritation that something this trivial was the cause for my staying put, but also secretly excited that we had potential boy talk.

_More like a man, _I corrected, then chastised myself for letting the thought of _him_ get me off topic… even though it was more Bonnie's fault than mine. Whatever. "No! Of course there's not a boy already."

I heard her sigh forever on the other end of the line, before I heard her fingers turning page after page in the grimoire. "Okay, give me some details."

"Well, I pretty much told you everything that happened, but Scott is a beta wolf, not an alpha like Tyler." I explained.

There was a pause.

"I didn't realize there was more than one type of werewolf, excluding Klaus of course. "

I rubbed my forehead and glanced towards the mirror on my wall. I had zero make-up on, bags under my eyes and to make matters worse, I looked five times paler than usual. I couldn't believe I was allowing anyone to see me like this, least of all, Derek Hale. He'd only use it as ammunition for later.

"Look Bonnie, I really don't mean to rush you, cause I want you to find the right spell or cure or whatever, but I'm tired of looking like death, so if you could find something that might help…"

"Okay, okay, let me see what I can find and I'll call you back in a minute." She said.

"Thank you!" I hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed beside me. I hesitated when I went to rub my eyes, not wanting to smear my make-up, but grumbled when I realized again that I wasn't wearing any and rubbed the hell out of them. I glanced in the mirror a second time and then flung myself backwards. I'd only managed to make them look red and swollen. I pounded my fist on the bed and screamed.

WHY WAS I LETTING DEREK SEE ME LIKE THIS? My arm was taking forever and a day to heal and I was tired of looking like I'd just spent ninety years in a coffin.

"You look fine." Derek said, strutting into my room. He tossed a wet rag on my face and I snatched it away, glaring at him. He pulled the curtains closed tighter and walked over to me, sitting on the edge of the bed. He dropped a blood bag on my nightstand and I eyed it lustfully, but Derek flicked my nose (like I was the dog) and said, "Wait a minute."

I hissed at him and his lips quirked up in a smile, "You're going to have to work on that. Angry Barbies don't scare people."

I snatched his wrist in my hand and squeezed until I felt the bones protest. Derek's eyes flashed blue and he pulled back, his bark accompanied with a glare.

I leaned forward, "Looks can be deceiving, can't they?"

He pinched my cheek and I snapped at him. He pulled the blanket back and took my arm in his grasp, "It looks a lot better."

He placed the wet rag gently on top of "my scratch" and wiped away the blood that had seeped out since the last cleaning. I winced and turned away, "It doesn't _feel_ any better."

"What did your friend say?"

I sighed, "That she'd call me back when she found something helpful."

He took a deep breath, "Well you don't look like you're dying, so calm down."

I cast a sharp glance towards the mirror again and then looked back his way, an eyebrow raised, "Who the hell are _you_ looking at?"

He didn't say anything else, but I saw the small tug of his lips. I stared at him and it almost made me forget that I felt like the life was flowing out of me. Maybe Bonnie was right, maybe there was a… a guy. Derek was annoying and had a huge ego, but there was no denying the fact that he was handsome; extremely good looking. And beneath that entire wolf-man exterior, I knew there was something great inside of him. If only I knew what'd caused this… this cold shell of a man.

I continued to watch him as he helped me. His eyes unguarded, not hard and cold and fierce like they usually were. He was touching me so gently; I hadn't thought it possible of him. He took another deep breath in, but his face remained neutral.

"What?" He asked, not meeting my gaze.

"Why're you always so depressed?" I shook my head, "I mean, I understand that you've got _a lot_ on your shoulders, but you're always so… unhappy. I've seen you smile, but you keep it so contained, like this is how you want to be."

Derek only stared at me, his eyes unusually soft, considering the prying I was doing. His hands still cradled my arm with a feather light touch. He wasn't exactly offering explanations at this point, but he wasn't pulling away from me either, giving me… _that look_ that told me I was going too far. I took it as a good sign and sat up slowly, until we were staring each other in the eyes. He didn't let go of my arm and I scooted closer.

"Tell me, Derek."

His gaze didn't leave mine, "A few years back-"

The phone's shrill ringing vibrated through the room and I flinched. Derek didn't say anything else, only turned away from me and stood, taking the bloody rag with him to the bathroom. He turned the faucet on high and I sighed, picking up the phone.

"Hey Bonnie," Derek leaned against the door frame of the bathroom with crossed arms, "Derek's here, you're on speaker."

"Is he the one that hurt you?" Her voice was venomous.

Derek shook his head and returned to his spot on the bed with a clean rag. I smiled, "No, Derek's just my nurse."

He glared at me, but I got completely distracted when Bonnie asked, "Oh, is he the one you were inconspicuously telling me about earlier?"

I could almost feel my cheeks flare red as Derek looked up at me, an eyebrow raised in question. I turned away from him, not able to look him in the eye and growled out, "Bonnie, I told you earlier there isn't a guy, you're assuming things."

"Caroline, how long have I known you? I know when there's a boy in your life, you're like an open book."

Derek snickered and I punched him in the arm while keeping the phone cradled between my head and shoulder.

"Whatever, but assuming there was, stop referring to him as a boy. I don't date _boys_ Bonnie; you of all people should know that."

"Yeah, yeah, let's save Derek the history lesson. Anyways, I've got good news." She said.

I sat up straighter, "Really?"

"Yes, you're going to make a full recovery, no Original blood required. The only thing is, you'll need lots of rest and plenty of blood. Just relax for the next week or so, you should be better in no time." I could hear the approving smile in her voice.

"Thank you Bonnie, I really appreciate it." I grinned.

"It's not a problem, but please let me know if you need someone to come down there. You know I won't hesitate."

"I will. I'll talk to you soon Bonnie."

"Bye Care Bear."

I set the phone down on the bed and peeked over at Derek. That small smile was dancing across his face again and I narrowed my eyes, "Don't even think about it."

He shrugged, "I prefer Barbie."

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep a smile off my face, "Sorry to break it to you, but someone beat you to the punch. That's an old nick name. You are completely unoriginal."

"Your friends?"

I laughed out loud and Derek looked up momentarily, "I don't know if I consider Damon a friend, but he's close enough, I guess."

"Ex-boyfriend?"

"We slept together a few times, but no." I said.

He looked up again, "I didn't peg you as the promiscuous type."

I shrugged and watched his hands methodically clean my injury, "That was a whole other life for me."

"Mystic Falls was?"

"Not Mystic Falls, necessarily. I was still human when Damon and I fooled around, but I was naïve, gullible… compelled. He was a vampire and I didn't really have a choice in the matter."

Derek's hands stilled and for a moment, we both kind of sat frozen. He wasn't looking at me, but I stared him down, trying to get him to glance over, so I could read his eyes. They always seemed to give away so much more than his mouth did. I wanted to see what he thought of my words, why he not sat motionless. I wanted him to look at me and tell me, without words. And a small part of me wanted him to be angry with Damon. My petrified heart seemed to beat erratically as I watched him slowly resume his task.

"Did you ever… get back at him?"

I grinned, trying to push away my feelings, losing myself in my memories, "I kicked his ass once or twice, after I turned, since we were more equally matched, but… as many terrible things as Damon has done, he's probably saved my life equally as much. He's an ass, but he's an ass with a heart of gold."

Derek didn't say anything more and it stays silent as I count the minutes. Finally, when I can't stand it any longer, I scoot closer to him again. His grip tightens on my arm and he sucks in a breath and I feel maybe I should scoot back to where I was, but he doesn't pull away from me. He doesn't let me go, so I stay and try to stay foccused on what I want to ask.

"Earlier… when we were talking, what were you going to say?"

"Nothing." He stands up and tosses the rag across the room, where it lands promptly in my bathroom sink.

"Derek-"

"Scott and Stiles are here," He says and then leaves the room. I stare after him, now alone in my quiet room and listen intently to him thudding down the stairs and pulling the door open, all swift, easy movements.

"What the hell?" Derek asks.

"You're just mad 'cause you didn't get her anything." Stiles quips back, fast.

I hear Derek's long, exasperated sigh and I giggle, turning over in bed. I close my eyes and let my ears drink in the sound of the three boys' voices downstairs. My boys. I grin as they bicker and wonder what's taking them so long. I hear lots of shuffling before all their big feet start clomping up my stairs.

There's a soft knock on the door and I say quietly, knowing at least two of them can hear me, "Come in."

Derek pushes the door open and rolls his eyes before stepping out of the way. Scott and Stiles are left in my door way, both of their arms filled with bouquets of white roses. I sit up in bed and throw my head back and laugh, like a giddy teenage girl.

I look back at them and grin, from ear to ear, "You two are the best."

I throw the blanket off of me and stand, watching, amused, as Scott and Stiles rush towards me, like I may faint at any second. Even Derek takes a few steps toward me, his eyes round with worry. I inwardly smirk and wave my hand in the air, "I'll be okay."

I take one of the bouquets from Scott and sniff them. Flowers always smelled so much better since becoming a vampire. I bounce lightly on my feet and throw my arms around both of their necks.

"Love you guys."

Scott's hand rests on the small of my back and he asks, "Are you feeling better?"

Just the mention of it, makes my arm twinge in pain, but I keep it wrapped around Stiles since he still hasn't let go of me. I smile and pat Scott's waist, "I'll live. Seriously, I talked to my friend Bonnie and she says as long as I rest and drink lots of… ya know, as long as I rest, I'll be okay."

Scott shoves all of the flowers in his hands at Derek and Derek stumbles backwards, looking taken off guard and then annoyed. Scott ushers me back to my bed and stands there until I crawl back in. He sits down on the side, where Derek sat before and asks, "How long did she say it would take?"

I sighed, pondering whether or not it was a good idea to tell him the truth if he was going to force me to stay in bed like this. There was no way I was going to live out my entire sentence in bed; I'd probably be up and about tomorrow. Unfortunately, Derek must've realized my hesitation because he growled out, "a week," before heading out of the room, all the flowers still crowded in his arms.

"You'd better find vases for all of those!" I yell at him, mostly because he'd just betrayed me.

Stiles sets his armful of flowers on my dresser and then runs towards me, jumping in the air and flopping down on my bed. I laugh and scoot closer to him, patting the extra space beside me for Scott to join. He sits down tentatively and we all lean back against my head board.

"I really am sorry, Caroline-"

I wave him off, "Stop apologizing, those flowers totally make up for everything."

He smiles, I yawn and Stiles slips farther down in bed, his eyes closing. I realize what a brilliant idea he has and I close my eyes, sliding down too, pulling the covers up to my chin.

"Y'all don't mind if I take a nap, right?"

"Nope." They answer in unison.

It's not until my eyes are closed and I'm cuddled between my two friends that I realize how tired I am. Sleep is creeping up around me and in no time at all, I'm on the verge of a deep slumber.

But I'm not too tired to have one more thought. A small, but increasingly large, part of me hopes that when Derek climbs back up those stairs and sees me sandwiched between Scott and Stiles, that he'll be jealous…

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><p><strong>AN:** _Did you like? Let me know! Did you not like? Let me know anyways! I love all of you and thank you for the continuous reviews even when I wasn't posting. LOVEYOU._


	8. Never Alone

**A/N:** _That was a quick update, right? (; Finally! Lol, hope you like it you guys._

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><p>I sat in one of the cushiony chairs from the living room, down in the basement, courtesy of Scott and Stiles. I sipped on blood bags and watched as my boys carried things and supplies from upstairs down into the basement. They wouldn't let me help since I was still technically on "bed rest", but I was given permission to sit and watch. I was a little peeved at first, having to just sit around and gaze at them like I was completely incapable, but after they all started shedding shirts, I sat back in comfort and enjoyed my view.<p>

The three of them were in the process of building… something that would help keep Scott from going anywhere he shouldn't during the rapidly approaching full moon. Bags and bags of steel chains and cables were brought down, along with thick wooden beams; all things that were going to act as restrictions for Scott. We figured my basement was the best place to do it since I lived here, Derek was staying here and we'd both be close by if needed. Not to mention, Derek had somehow replaced my regular basement door, with a big metal one that was going to be impossible to get through without a key.

Scott and Stiles were over by the work bench, trying to recreate the holds Tyler and I had used during his transformations. Derek stepped down the stairs carefully, one of the wooden beams resting on his naked shoulder. Those things weren't light either. I pushed myself further back into my chair and eyed him carefully, admiring every muscle rippling movement, every twinge of his arms. The muscles in his back moved with grace and I feared I might melt into a puddle right there.

"Why doesn't she have to help again?" Derek asked, jutting his chin towards me and setting the beam down carefully by the others.

"Derek." Scott grumbled, "You heard what her friend said."

I tossed the blood bag on the floor and stood, "All you had to do was ask, _Derek_."

He shook his head, but chuckled darkly, "Sit down, Barbie."

I crossed my arms, eyebrows furrowing, "No, I'm tired of your bitching."

Derek tilted his head to the side and quirked an eyebrow, looking ten times more appealing than thirty seconds ago, "Don't you think you're being a little melodramatic?"

I ignored him and stomped towards the stairs. Derek moved a step in front of me and threatened, "Go sit down, you're supposed to be resting. I can bring you back up to your room if you'd like."

I mentally plugged my ears and went to push past him, so I could march up the steps, but those wonderful arms that I'd been admiring, wrapped around my torso and lifted me off the ground. He pulled me flush against his body and I stiffened, a million inappropriate scenarios running through my head. He turned away from the staircase and set me down, spinning me to face him, being extra careful not to touch my hurt arm.

His voice softened, "You need to heal properly. Go sit down."

A huge lump formed in my throat and I nodded quickly, turning to sit back down while not breathing. I plopped down in a huff and looked up when I noticed how quiet it'd gotten down here. I glanced at Derek and then at Scott and Stiles who were both whipping their heads back and forth, between the two of us.

"Go get the rest of the stuff." Derek barked.

Stiles snapped to it and dashed towards the stairs, fumbling all over himself, but Scott sauntered over to Derek and mumbled something about not being the only love sick puppy. I smirked and looked away from them, imagining my dead heart going into a frenzy. Derek punched Scott in the gut and he doubled over, but laughed anyway, stepping up the stairs slowly, shaking his head.

I turned sideways in my chair, my legs hanging over one arm and my head resting against the other. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, listening to the steady pumping of Derek's heart. I almost completely tuned out the noise of him moving things around and instead, focused entirely on his beating organ; the melody of it.

_Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump._

I felt my eyebrows furrow as I listened more intently, trying to commit the sound to memory, trying to memorize every tiny sound and splutter it made. It sounded almost-

"_Allison?"_

My eyes shot open and my attention turned from Derek to the voices up stairs.

"_What're you doing here?"_

"_I talked to your mom. She said you might be here. Scott, what're you doing?"_

I sat up just in time to find Derek striding over to the stair case. I flew off my chair, tripping over my feet and managed to stop right in front of him, my hands splayed out across his bare chest, "Stop Derek."

His mouth was a grim line, "He can't be around her right now, Caroline. It's too dangerous, for _both_ of them."

"I know, I know, but _you_ can't go up there." I tried to rationalize with him.

"Why is that?"

"Because no matter how harmless she is now, she could easily let it slip that Derek Hale was at _this_ house in the middle of the woods, with barely anybody around. I'm not only trying to save your ass, I'm trying to save mine. I'm not really up for a midnight raid by the Argents."

He stopped shuffling around and stared me in the eyes. They told me everything I needed to know without him having to verbally agree to stay in the basement. I slid my hands off of him slowly and took one step up, "Just stay down here, I'll be back in a minute. I'll get her to leave."

He sighed and took a step back, nodding. I took a deep breath and did the same, turning around and hurrying up the stairs.

I was only wearing jeans and a white tank top, so I snatched my new leather jacket (thank you, Scott) off the back of the couch and slipped it on quickly, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through my shoulder. I slipped on some shoes and thanked any God above that I'd decided to put on make-up and fix my hair today. I couldn't very well be intimidating if I looked like I just woke up.

I threw the front door open and stalked outside, standing on the edge of the porch. Allison's eyes twitched my way, but otherwise, she ignored me and it only made my calm dissipate.

"Scott." I growled out.

He jumped, obviously not realizing that I'd come outside. Stiles was standing off to the side of Scott, giving him the same look I'd be giving him now if he would actually meet my gaze. Thank you, Stiles, for being responsible, unlike your idiotic friend.

Scott turned around with guilty eyes and nodded his head ever so slightly. I rolled my eyes and stepped down from the porch, striding over to the three of them. I plastered a big, obvious fake smile on my face and tried to be as nice as I could handle, under the circumstances.

"Hi Allison, I'm Caroline. Scott's told me a lot about you."

Allison smirked, confused and I took a step closer, staring her in the eyes. I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and said, "Get in your car and go home. Forget you came here today, forget how to get here and if your parents ask, you were at the library, studying."

Her eyes clouded over and she nodded once, turning to leave. Without a word, she strapped herself into her car and left. I dusted my hands off and smiled, "I was worried I might be getting rusty."

"What the hell did you just do?" Scott asked, incredulous.

"Calm down, I just compelled her. She won't remember any of this tomorrow, but she'll still be the same. I didn't really do anything, except make her forget she ever came here."

"Is-is that… she's not going to be some mindless zombie now, right?"

I laughed, "No, same old Allison. Now help me take this jacket off, it's killing my arm."

"Oh, sorry." Scott moved behind me and tried to gently maneuver the leather from off my shoulders. I winced as it dragged across "my scratch" and mashed my lips together in a tight line.

"You're hurting her."

Scott and I both turned our heads to see Derek coming down the porch, a not too happy expression on his face. Scott turned back to me and bit his lip, "I'm sorry."

I shook my head, "It's fine, just do it quick, hurry."

He tears it from my body in one hurried motion and I wince again, but it's not as bad as before so I shake my arms out and sigh. I place a hand on my forehead and shut my eyes, "What the hell Scott?"

His eyes rounded, "It's not like I invited her here! She just showed up."

I sighed again, "I know, but you're going to get me and Derek killed."

Scott's eyebrows knit together, "What do you mean?"

I point an accusing finger at the now shirt covered Derek, "He was ready to stalk up here when he heard Allison. If she had even just casually told her dad that Derek Hale was here, at this secluded house with you and me, don't think that the Hunters would have wasted one more night in coming here and tearing down the place, looking for him."

Scott's face paled and he looked at Derek, who was glaring at him and then back at me, another apology about to spill from his lips. I held a hand out, "Don't apologize, just know that when we tell you it's better to stay away from Allison for now, we're not doing it to be assholes."

He nodded and refused to meet my gaze, tying his fingers into knots. I started to walk back towards the house, "Let's just get this over with before night fall. We've got work to do."

Stiles spoke up, "There's no 'we' about it, Caroline. You're not going to work."

I sighed and barely refrained from stomping my foot like a child, "Stiles!"

He shook his head no and, surprising me (and probably everyone), he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. I pounded his back, softly, with my fists and laughed as Derek and Scott trailed us back into the basement.

* * *

><p>Three hours later, the guys were finally finished and we were all standing around in a semi-circle, admiring their work. I nodded my head approvingly and nudged Derek in<p>

his side. His arms were crossed and he was analyzing the work, but when I peeked up at him, he had the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. He glanced down at me and nodded his head too, acknowledging my praise. I laughed quietly and turned to Scott and Stiles.

Stiles had the same proud look on his face, like he'd just accomplished something great, but Scott was standing a few steps back, eyebrows furrowed. His arms were ram rod straight and his lips were mashed together like he was fighting the words trying to come out of his mouth. Finally he must've given in, because he sighed loudly and flung his arms in the air, turning away from the restraints.

"I don't want to do this anymore, that thing looks like it freaking hurts. Can't I just stay home?" He begged, eyes wide and pleading.

"You kind of already shot that horse in the face." I pointed out.

He groaned, "I know, but…"

"Suck it up, Scott. I need the hunters more focused on you so that I can track down the Alpha. Every time I get a lead, it just stops short." Derek growled the last part, mostly to himself. It was obvious he was frustrated, but there wasn't anything I could do to help; not now at least.

I took a deep breath, "Listen, why don't you and Stiles stay here tonight," Derek started to protest, but I pushed him away and continued on, "We'll go to school in the morning and when we get home, we'll relax until it's… time. Alright?"

He looks at Derek for a moment and gets this sly, wicked smirk on his face. I quirk an eyebrow and turn back to look at Derek. His arms are still crossed and he's glaring daggers at Scott and I hear the beginning of a snarl forming in his throat. I roll my eyes and turn back to Scott, "So, is that a yes?"

"Yeah!" Stiles yells, beaming at me. I laugh and push him playfully. Stiles pats Scott's shoulder, "Come on man, I'll give you a ride to your house so you can get your stuff."

Both boys trot up the stairs and I smile after them, shaking my head. What would I do without them?

"Caroline?"

I turn back to Derek, a small smile still playing at my lips. His face is grim, but more open than usual and his mouth is slightly ajar, like he's trying to force words out.

I uncross my arms and take a step closer to him. His eyes never leave mine and I feel a thousand metal butterflies fluttering in my stomach. He stares down at me, a million and five emotions running across his face in the course of ten seconds. Whatever he's trying to say is literally on the tip of his tongue and I clench my teeth, trying to keep from saying anything, knowing that every time I do, he snaps out of it and refuses to broach the topic again. His hands twitch a little at his sides and I only nod my head, letting him know he's got my undivided attention.

"Earlier, when we were talking… you asked why I'm always… like this."

I nodded again. A husky breath blew from his lips and he turned his face away from me, his body still straight as a board. I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped myself short and reached a hand out, gently turning his gaze back to me. His eyes were wider than usual and I retracted my arm slowly, tilting my head to the side, curiously.

"Years ago, while I was still in high school, Kate Argent and some of the other Hunters, locked most of my family in the basement and… set the house on fire. My sister and I were in school when it happened. Almost all of them were killed. Only my uncle survived, but… I'd hardly call him alive. Anyways, that's why I'm… like this, I guess."

Venom pumped through my arms and legs and through the core of my body and I felt a new kind of hatred for this Kate woman. My teeth gnashed together and my hands balled into fists. A hot, burning anger was rolling through me, working its way up to my brain and I looked down at the ground, trying to hide the black, swelling veins on my face. I managed to ground out a question, "What about your sister? Where is she?"

He didn't move away from me, but I couldn't exactly tell what he was feeling, since I had to resort to staring at his shoes. He stayed still.

"She was killed, severed at the waist."

My head snapped up and I questioned him with wild, burning eyes, "By the Hunters?"

He shrugged, but the move was tense and the expression on his face remained hard, "I'm assuming."

"Derek, I'm…" I chuckled darkly and shook my head, "You probably don't want to hear that."

My body practically vibrated with anger, but at the same time, my heart ached for him and while I did know a taste of what he had been through, of what he must feel, I couldn't imagine the sorrow and despair that consumed him. Sure, he only let the anger and hatred show, but no one on this earth lost something of that magnitude and didn't feel… broken and alone. I couldn't help myself as I stepped closer to him, wrapping my arms around his torso. He didn't move, probably stopped breathing, but I squeezed harder and pressed my face into his shoulder, hot tears soaking into his shirt. I breathed him in and commanded, "Don't be stubborn."

The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow until I felt the muscles in his back tense as he lifted his arms. They wrapped around me softly, that feather light touch back again, but I growled and squeezed him even harder.

Slowly, he pulled me tighter and tighter against him until we were both holding on for dear life. His head rested gently on top of mine and his chest shuddered, drawing ragged breaths in. I turned my head and buried my face in his neck, trying to physically send him waves of comfort. I dug my fingers in his back, trying to meld him to my body.

"You're not alone anymore. Never again."

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><p><strong>AN: **_I know Derek just got a little soft, so tell me if you like it or if you don't. I can always change it, so review you guys (: love you._


	9. Weight on My Shoulders

**A/N:** _Absolutely no words. I am a horrible human being. I am so sorry, you guys, for making you wait so god awfully long for this chapter. I had half of it written, just sitting there for weeks and what I had written was so horrible, that every time I thought about going to write some more, I dreaded it. BUT! I managed to force myself to re-write it and here we are. The worst part is, it's still not aLl that wonderful, nothing too exciting, but I have a more final plot in mind and written down, so now that I know exactly what I want, hopefully the writing process will move along a little quicker._

_**IMPORTANT**: I do want to ask a quick question. I know the timeline of my story is waaaay off, considering we're already all on season two of **Teen Wolf** and knew who thE Alpha was and blah, blah, so... if you all think I should stop writing this, I get it. DON'T GET ME WRONG. I SO SO SO enjoy all the feedback I get and actually writing this, but if y'all are getting less interested, please let me know. I want honest opinions. Should I continue the story? But anyways, I'll stop rambling so much now and let you all get to it (: Sorry again for the wait._

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><p>Derek was quiet for the rest of the evening; unusually so. He was being civil, nice even, but the absence of his cynical voice was unwanted. I almost felt like angering him so he'd say something, anything. If I'd known bringing up the past would make him act this way, I might've reconsidered. He was taking my commands without a word, doing as I asked without glancing my way or nodding in acknowledgment. It was only when the four of us sat down in the living room to watch TV did the harsh glint return to his eyes and even then, it was only there for Scott and Stiles' benefit. He was half-assing the glares and the natural shitty attitude and it was worrying me. Maybe there had been a good reason he'd kept all of his emotions pushed back to the farthest recess of his mind. Maybe there was a reason he'd been so incredibly hesitant to bring it up again.<p>

And I was the idiot who'd conjured up every bad thing that he worked _so hard_ to keep away like an intrusive therapist.

I sighed and peered over at him; pressed up against the very end of the far side of the couch like I had cooties or something. I rolled my eyes and inconspicuously scooted in his direction. His expression remained neutral, his eyes glued to the TV screen even though I highly doubted _Titanic_ was interesting him. It was, however, entertaining Stiles, who hadn't blinked in the past five minutes. His eyes were watery enough to forgo a couple more minutes without it. I smirked and looked over to Scott, who was resting on the love seat, legs thrown over one arm and his head bent back across the other, soft snores permeating the air. I chuckled quietly and peeked back over at Derek, who… still sat frozen. I blew out a quick, irritated breath and crawled a couple inches closer.

No reaction.

I sighed heavily and moved as close as I could without actually sitting on top of him. I purposefully stared him down, my head turned completely his way, totally ignoring the movie. Derek wasn't one for close physical contact unless it involved him with his hands around your throat, so he'd have to say something eventually. It didn't matter how long he kept silent, I could wait. I was practically lying on top of him and I knew he could only ignore me for so long.

He sighed, not moving his eyes from the TV screen and said quietly, "Just watch the movie, Caroline."

"Look," I whispered, "if you'd prefer I didn't know about what happened in the past and how you feel, we can forget it. We'll just pretend that talk never happened."

He turned and gazed at me, his eyes completely unreadable, "You are so odd."

I shrugged and cocked my head to the side, smirking, "You love it."

"Not nearly as much as you may have disillusioned yourself into thinking."

"Oh please, your life would be bleak and bland without your 'Vampire Barbie'."

It was too late that I realized why he was looking down at me strangely. I'd called myself _his_. The whole left side of my body seemed to grown warmer pressed up against his. If vampires could blush, my cheeks would be rosy. It wouldn't have been as bad if he hadn't caught it, but of course, he had. I thought maybe it'd be a little less awkward if I moved away from him, but when I ran the scenario through my head quickly, it seemed like too much movement. I was a tad frozen and wanted the least painful way of action. In the end, I decided on opening my big mouth again.

"That's not what I-"

"I know."

"Okay."

And oh look. What do you know; Rose and Jack are making love to the sound of heart breaking music. If at any time I regretted moving so close to Derek, it was nothing compared to the appalling feeling consuming me now. I mentally face palmed and squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep breath.

_Move past it Caroline_, I berated myself; _you scooted over to him for a reason_.

"You never answered me before." I whispered, trying not to disturb Stiles.

"About you being my-"

"About pretending we never talked down in the basement." I cut him off, barely managing to keep him from repeating my sentence. I liked him. That's what I got for being Caroline Forbes, the girl who fell hard and with everything she had. But having him repeat back to me, what I couldn't believe I'd let slip, would be too overwhelming. I knew it was an impossible thing to wish for, I wasn't under some false pretense that we could ever work, which was why I was trying to be as rational about this _crush_ as I could be.

He was silent a moment before answering with a shrug.

"It happened; you know. There's no use in pretending you don't." He turned his cerulean eyes to mine. "I don't regret telling you. I just haven't thought about it for years. And honestly, what I'd prefer, is if we didn't bring it up every few hours."

I nodded, "I won't talk about it anymore unless you bring it up first."

"Thanks."

"But _I'd_ prefer if you would stop sulking around."

His gaze turned into a glare, "I'm not sulking."

I snorted and was hurriedly shushed by Stiles. I scoffed quietly and turned back to Derek, "Yes, you were; sulking around like a lost puppy dog."

"I wasn't." He barked.

Stiles spun around from his place on the floor and flung his arms out, "Shut up!"

Derek shot forward and stabbed a finger at him, commanding, "Just turn around and watch your stupid movie."

He leaned back and I whispered, "An argument could be made that _Titanic_ is most definitely _not_ a stupid movie."

"Pointless argument." He grumbled.

There was a deafening knock on the door and everyone in the living room jumped to attention. Stiles made sure to pause the movie before turning back to Derek and I with a curious expression. Scott was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, but was on his feet, cautious. I jumped up and pulled Stiles with me. I motioned for the two of them to go down to the basement and while Scott gave me a helpless look, I urged him on. He touched my arm and whispered, "What if it's-"

"I'll be fine, I promise. Just go."

He reluctantly did as I said, Stiles following close behind and I waited until the door was shut firmly behind them before striding to the front door. I hesitated once more, looking over at Derek. He shook his head no, silently refusing to go anywhere and so I took a deep breath and pulled the door open slowly.

"Caroline Forbes? I'm Chris Argent. I was wondering if we could… have a little chat. And while I'm here, why don't you call for Derek to come and join us."

I sneered. This was the man causing Scott and Derek so many problems. I hated him instantly, my stomach rolling at the mere sight of him.

"Get the hell off my porch."

Argent smiled. "I hope Derek was decent enough to tell you about the uh, _werewolf threat_ in this town before you took up permanent residence."

"You mean you: the Hunters?" I asked sarcastically, insultingly.

He smiled again, "Yes."

Before I had time to formulate a response, Derek was standing before me, a protective arm outstretched in front of me. His body radiated his anger and he bit out darkly, "She's not like me, Argent; leave her out of our games."

The Hunter's face cleared of all amusement, "We've barely managed not to slaughter you enough times, what made you think it was a good idea to bring another one here?"

"She's not a shifter." Derek snarled.

"Oh, no?"

"No."

Argent moved his eyes over to me and I put on the best human act I could manage. I pressed myself into Derek's back and proceeded to cower behind him as if frightened. I reached up to clutch his shirt in my hand and it didn't go unnoticed by Allison's dad. He stared at me a moment longer and when he made the slightest of movements, I made myself flinch. It was an Oscar worthy performance, if I did say so myself.

His expression turned deadly and he took a step closer to Derek, "We're here to protect the humans. You're only making it worse for yourself by terrorizing this girl. I could kill you right now."

I snaked my hand into Derek's and squeezed tightly. His fingers clasped around mine and he smirked devilishly at the Hunter, "Does it look like she's terrorized?"

He peered down at our hands and then flicked his eyes back up to me, evident rage boiling in their midst.

"You're despicable." He spat at me. "And you'll die with your lover."

It was taking everything in me not to race forward and rip this man's throat apart with my teeth. He had no idea what I was. He had no idea that creatures like me even existed. I should kill him slowly and painfully for the fear and angst he had and was causing Derek and Scott. But I refrained and pressed closer into Derek to convey that I was afraid.

"Leave." Derek growled, his voice deep, his eyes threatening, his entire persona deadly.

Argent smiled and nodded his head absentmindedly, "I'll see you soon Derek."

He turned and bounded down the steps, his cocky attitude back in the matter of seconds. Derek and I remained in our stiff positions until the Hunter was back in his vehicle and speeding down the driveway. I sighed heavily and slowly pulled myself away from him while he shut and locked the door.

"How did he know where I lived? I compelled Allison! She shouldn't be able to remember anything about this afternoon." I rambled.

Derek sighed, "For what it's worth, I don't think it was her who lead him here. He already knew I was here with you, he must've had someone following me."

The basement door flew open and Scott came storming in the living room, Stiles a few seconds behind.

"That arrogant asshole! He had no right to say that to you!" Scott yelled, glaring at the door.

Stiles held his hand out, "Obviously I'm missing something."

"He told Caroline she was despicable and basically said he'd kill her, even though he thought she was human." Scott explained, fuming angrily.

It was quiet for a split second before Stiles started to stomp towards the front door, furiously waving his pointer finger in the air. I grinned and pulled him back towards the rest of us. His eyebrows knit together, but he slung his arm around my shoulders, mumbling something about "that sick bastard".

Derek crossed his arms and turned to Scott, "This is a problem, McCall. I thought maybe we'd be off the map for at least a while here, but we're not and now Caroline's in danger."

Scott sighed and paced back and forth, "I know that, but we can't just snap our fingers and find out where the Alpha is so that all this can go away. If we could, we wouldn't be here right now."

Derek nodded, mostly to himself, "We need more time without the hunters breathing down our necks."

I crossed my arms, but held a hand out to both of them, "We need to worry about one thing at a time. Our first priority is the full moon tomorrow. Scott has enough to deal with, without having to worry about Argent too. We can handle him some other time."

"Like _I_ don't have enough to deal with? I'm the one he's focused on. Now I have to worry about protecting you too." Derek snarled.

"I'm a girl, Derek, I'm not some helpless human teenager; I can take care of myself."

"This isn't a game, Caroline. This is not some old vampire running around town, freaking you and your friends out. These are Hunters and they will track you down and kill you just because of your association with me."

"Don't you try to downplay the problems my friends and I had in Mystic Falls, you son of a bitch!"

"Can both of you just shut up? On top of our rapidly increasing list of problems, the full moon is tomorrow and now my girlfriend's dad is trying to kill both of you! Just shut the hell up so I can think." Scott yelled.

"Why don't you lessen some of the weight on your shoulders and stop hanging around the Hunter's daughter." Derek suggested.

Stiles sighed, "There's nothing we can do about any of this tonight. Why are we arguing?"

Derek and Scott only stood there, looking like they wanted to brood and argue some more. I waved them all off and strode towards the stairs, "I'm going to bed; school tomorrow and all."

"And then there's that!" Scott complained. "How the hell am I supposed to worry about _chemistry_ when there's some psychotic wolf running around town, trying to… recruit me? _And_ kill Derek?"

I spun around, frustrated, "It's like Stiles said, there's nothing we can do about it tonight. Let's all just go to bed and we'll worry about it tomorrow."

Derek and Scott both snarled "fine" before uncrossing their arms and heading to their respective rooms. I wrapped my arm around Stiles' waist and we ascended the stairs, "Tomorrow should be fun."

"Tons." He groaned.

* * *

><p>Derek pulled to a stop in front of the school and stuck his car in park. Stiles and Scott decided on getting here early, so they could study for the chemistry test this Friday. So it was just Derek and I this morning. I grabbed my book bag from the back seat and made to leave when Derek said, "I don't get why you do it."<p>

I paused, "What?"

"Continue to go to high school even though you're technically twenty years old."

I shrugged and kept my eyes on the dashboard, "When I moved here, it was to make a new start. I'm not all gung-ho for high school, but I moved out here by myself and I didn't want to be completely alone, so what better way to make friends other than school, right? I'm not ready to have some boring, monotonous day job." I glanced over at him, "Besides, I never fathomed that I'd run into more werewolves and that their problems would become my own."

He turned away from me, his eyes boring into the steering wheel. He gripped it tighter, the skin over his knuckles straining.

"Sorry."

My chest tightened, but I shoved the feeling away and smiled, shrugging again, "It's whatever. Despite it all, I've got Stiles and Scott and I adore them both. And with the risk of making this moment awkward, I'm glad I met you, Derek; that I have you to rely on."

He stared at me, his eyes unreadable again. He didn't say anything and my chest tightened further. I pursed my lips and jumped out of the car, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

In the distance, I spotted Allison climbing out of her dad's vehicle and as if he sensed me watching, Chris Argent turned to grin at me, two fingers waving a mock salute. I bent down to peer back into Derek's car and he met my eyes knowingly.

"We've got to do something about that prick."

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><p><strong>AN:** _Did you all like how Derek drove Caroline to school? I thought the subtlety of it was kind of cute (: More exciting things hopefully coming up next chapter or so. Review and let me know watcha think (:_


	10. Alpha Attack

**A/N:** _Hey guys! Relatively quick update; aren't you proud of me? (: Anyways! I wasn't too caught up with all my "_**Teen Wolf**_" episodes **(*****cough*** four behind ***cough*****)** but I am now and uhm, holy freaking balls. I very, nearly almost felt bad for Matt; I have ALWAYS despised Allison's grandfather, but I have a new found hate for that man; I'm a tad unhappy with Scott, that little traitor (and RIGHT when the vet told Derek to trust him, too! UGH); Scott's mom worried me, there's going to be quite a bit of tention there for a while; and my POOR, POOR Derek D: stupid Scott betrayed him, freaking Peter is back, AND he's got a hot-headed, angry Allison on his ass. The writers are NOT making it easy for him. Ah, well..._

*****Anyways, someone mentioned in a review that I was making Chris Argent out to be a really nasty jerk wad (not their exact words) and I know that I am, but in all honesty, I have a small soft spot for him. For the purpose of the story, though, let's pretend I don't and just grab our pitch forks, okay?

_******Lastly, I just want everyone to know that I've fallen madly in love with Erica and Stiles as a pair and I had the briefest, fleeting thought to give her an extremely small part in the story, but alas, I decided against it. I figured, though, that with a couple more scenes between them, I'd write a little one-shot, so let me know if you all are up for that?_

Sorry I've ranted so long, but ya know, I only say what I think you guys should or need to know, so thanks for reading it all, lol. I do want to say real quick that I love every single one of you and there are no words to tell you how much I appreciate all the support I'm getting for this story. Thank you, everyone (:

_WAIT (sorry, last thing), we're going to pretend for a while that Scott doesn't have an "anchor" yet. Otherwise... he'd be able to deal with the full moon? But I'll get that little thing out of the way quickly and insignificantly, alright? Alright!_

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><p>The first few hours of school pass in a blur; I glide from class to class, hearing but not really listening. All I can think about is the full moon tonight and whether or not the big… contraption, that the guys built will hold Scott for the entire night. My arm and shoulder had healed completely by now, but I really wasn't up for another fight with him or any werewolf for that matter; which led my thought process to the Alpha. The boys had told me enough to fear running into that thing and I wondered what the hell we were supposed to do about it. We didn't know what it wanted, or maybe who; we didn't know if it was trying to get a message across to Derek and Scott or if it merely needed them dead for other purposes.<p>

Then of course, there was the matter of the Hunters. That arrogant son of bitch Chris, threatening me; threatening Derek. I could've murdered him right then and he never would have suspected it was coming. I still hoped to get another chance at it. One less Argent seemed more and more appealing by the minute.

I sighed audibly and strode to my own private lunch table; the one outside, away from the naïve teenagers and their monotonous, meaningless conversations. It was cold enough out that no other students were occupying the other outside tables, which meant no teachers had bothered coming outside to "monitor" them. I'd successfully managed to sneak out unseen and I smiled triumphantly.

Some rustling noises sounded from the small cluster of woods to my left and none other than Derek emerged from our hidey spot. The noise was for my benefit, alerting me to his presence; he'd graciously decided not to sneak up on me. I smile down at my spiral and text book and continue writing, like there'd been no interruptions.

"Last time I checked, you were not enrolled in Beacon Hills High School." I point out.

He strides over calmly, with his hands stuck deep in his pockets and takes the seat across from me. His fingers lace together on the table and he peers over at my stuff.

"What're you working on?"

"Physics homework."

"Fun."

"Definitely not."

He glances away for a moment, before turning back and huffing quietly, "We've got to start formulating some kind of plan. The full moon will come and go tonight, but we have to start thinking long-term."

I set my pen down and lock my fingers together as well, staring off into the distance, trying to piece together some quick little something, but even though my brain is working a million miles a second, I'm coming up with absolutely nothing.

"As of now, I don't see a plausible solution." I tell him, "Both the Hunters and the Alpha want either you or both of us dead. There is no negotiating with Argent and we don't even know what the hell the Alpha wants. I don't see how we can try to put a plan into motion when we don't even have all the pieces."

"See, but there's something I'm not getting." Derek said, eyebrows knitted together.

"What's that?"

"So far, with everything else he's done, the Alpha has been somewhat patient; he's been able to wait things out. He wants what he wants and he's determined to get it, but this… whatever he's doing, he's had an incredible amount of self-control. There hasn't been a single outburst since a week and a half before you even got here. What is so important that he's willing to wait this long?"

"It's gonna be something huge." I mused. "Do you think he's planning some kind of attack against the Hunters?"

He shrugged, "It's possible, I guess, but I doubt it. They're more focused on you and I now; I don't think he'd waste precious time worrying about things that hardly concern him."

"Unless he needs you for something and the first step is to get the Hunters off your back? And theoretically, his?"

"What would he need me for?"

"I don't know, I'm just spit-balling here." I sighed, chewing on my pen cap.

It was quiet for a little while, both of us trying to come up with some semblance of a good idea. There really was nothing we could do without all the components. Until we discovered the Alpha's motives and figured out a way to neutralize the Hunters, all we could deal with was the full moon tonight. I inwardly groaned at the whole situation and began again on my physics homework, reading a passage out of the text book for help.

It was reasonable to say that I wasn't getting anywhere, reading the same line twenty-seven times. I just couldn't focus on trivial things like school work when I had so much more going on. It also wasn't a big help that Derek was sitting peacefully quiet across from me, looking like he'd just walked out of a damn _Abercrombie_ _& Fitch_ commercial. I closed my text book and pushed it a little ways away from me, recapping my pen.

"Are you going to stay with Scott tonight?" I asked.

He gazed down at his interwoven fingers, "I was considering it."

"I think you should," I told him, folding my hands in my lap, "He's really worried about what he might do and he trusts you."

He arched an eyebrow and smirked, "You sure about that?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yes."

"He'll be fine. There's no way he's getting out of those restraints." He tried to assure me.

I eyed him curiously until he took his own turn rolling his eyes and nodded, "But I'll stay with him."

I grinned, "Thank you."

"What class do you have next?"

"Gym with Stiles."

"You'd better go then." He inclined his head towards the school.

The bell rang only a second later and I chuckled quietly, gathering my stuff, "I suppose so."

He stood quickly and walked back in the direction of the woods. He shoved his hands in his pockets, "Later Barbie."

"Derek?" I called back to him. He stopped and turned to gaze at me over his shoulder. I glanced back at the school quickly, deciding I could afford to be late to class once, and jogged over to where he stood. I blew out a quick breath and averted my eyes, clutching my text book to my stomach tightly; nervous. I bit down on my cheek and decided to look him in the eyes so he'd understand how serious I was trying to be.

"Please… please be careful. The Hunters seem to have a new resolve to kill you now that I'm in the picture and with Scott and I at school all day… just be careful, alright?"

He didn't say anything, didn't nod his head, just stood there and watched me. I started to squirm under his gaze and I felt like slapping him for making me feel so awkward when I was only worried about his well-being. I mean, what the hell was he supposed to do if all the Hunters just decided it was a good idea to go after him while he was alone at the house? Or what if the Alpha finally got sick of waiting around and figured he'd be better off with Derek out of the way? Or what if-

"Caroline."

I glanced back up at him sharply, not realizing that I'd looked away from him at all. He looked completely amused and not the least bit worried; cocky man. He wrapped his hand around my bicep and smirked, "I can practically see you running every awful scenario possible through that over active imagination of yours. I got along just fine before Scott turned and you moved here. I'll survive."

I shrugged him off and resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him, "Don't make me feel stupid for caring about what happens to you."

He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, "Stop worrying about me and go to class; you're going to be late."

He started to walk away and I scrunched up my nose, "Jerk!"

He laughed incredulously and stormed back over to me. I was getting under his skin. "I'm a jerk because I want you to stop worrying about me?"

"You're a jerk because you're not taking me seriously. I care whether or not you die while I'm wasting my time at high school!"

"Yeah, well stop caring, I'm not going to die in the next three hours." He said.

"Derek, you can't just stop caring about someone." I told him.

He turned his face towards the sky and groaned, curling his hands into fists, "You are so difficult!" He took a deep breath and stepped closer to me, "Look, just focus on you. The Alpha is not above attacking in a public place."

I arched an eyebrow and mocked him, "Eh, Derek, stop caring about me."

"Good bye, Caroline." He turned and stocked off towards the woods. I grinned and jogged off towards the school, hoping against hope that I could click-clack in my heeled boots fast enough to the gym _before_ the bell rang. Unfortunately, I only managed to take one step out of the cafeteria before the shrill sound bounced around off my ear drums. I sighed and headed, instead, for the front office to get a tardy slip.

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><p>"So then he's like 'Just stop caring, I'm not gonna die'. I'm just concerned for him, doesn't he understand that?" I bump the ball back to Stiles.<p>

"Yeah, he's," he winces, underestimating the distance the ball went, and gets smacked in the head, "a real jerk."

I put a hand on my hip and cock my head, "You're totally not on my side, are you?"

Stiles sighs and unceremoniously serves the ball back my way, "It's just… he's big, bad, angry-all-the-time Derek; he doesn't concern himself with what people think about him or, more obviously, that they may care. And by the way, I'm confused why you _do_ care so much."

I caught the ball instead of hitting it back to him and stare, wide eyed, "I don't… care _so_ much. I care for him the same amount I care for you and Scott."

He pursed his lips and stared at me like I was an idiot, "I can tell that you're lying. I see the way you look at him, the way you both argue with each other _soooo_ relentlessly, you care _more_ about him or at least _differently_ than me and… you care… you care different… you like Derek. YOU LIKE DEREK!"

I flew at him, quicker than he could comprehend and shoved the volley ball against his open mouth, holding his face against it with a hand to the back of his head. I glared at him and whispered fiercely, "I do not like Derek. I mean, I like him, but not like you think."

He couldn't say anything, so all he did was give me that you're-an-idiot look again. I growled quietly and took the ball out of his mouth, "Don't make me compel you into forgetting this conversation."

His jaw dropped open and he furrowed his eyebrows, glaring, "You would do that to me?"

I glared right back, "Yes." It only took a total of four seconds before I caved and sighed heavily, "No, but can you just shut up? I don't want to talk about this anymore."

He laughed, clutching his stomach, "Caroline, we can't just _not_ talk about this."

"Yes, we can."

"Come on, Care, you seriously expect me to ignore the fact that you have a crush on- oof!"

I hurtled the ball straight for his gut and although he caught it, he was knocked on his ass, struggling to take a breath. I smirked and crossed my arms, feeling victorious.

"Forbes! Stilinski! Quit horsing around and follow instructions!" The coach shouted.

Stiles hefted himself back up slowly and glared at me harder. He threw the ball back at me angrily, putting quite a bit of force behind it, but I simply caught it and smiled over at him.

"Wipe that look off your face; we're gonna have to talk about it sooner or later." He threatened.

"I'd actually like to pretend that this part of our day never happened." I said, serving him the ball.

He bumped it back easily this time, "Too bad, it happened."

"You're irritating me, Stiles." I hissed.

A loud crashing noise sounded from the boy's locker room and the entire gym went silent. Everyone stared in that general direction and Stiles and I looked over at each other warily. Coach Lunbridge started in that direction and said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Everyone stay here and keep practicing."

Everyone stayed, but no one continued with the volley ball. Stiles strode over to me and mumbled quietly, "Do you think that's the Alpha or is Derek looking for Scott, painfully noisy?"

I took a deep breath, "I really wish I could tell you it was Derek, but I'm gonna bet on the former."

"Well we've got to do something! Lunbridge is two seconds from walking in there." Stiles whispered hastily.

I held my hands out helplessly, "How am I supposed to get her away from-"

The boys locker room door flew off its hinges and barely missed the coach on its way to the middle of the gym floor. It was only quiet for another second before everyone erupted into frightened screams and shouts. Coach Lunbridge jogged away from the locker room and yelled, "Single file line out the back exit doors. Let's go!"

I grabbed Stiles' shirt and we ducked behind the bleachers, where we sat and waited silently until everyone was cleared out of the gym. I glanced over at Stiles and told him, "Wait here and call Derek."

"Caroline, wait," he grabbed my gym shirt, "You can't go in there alone. You're going to get hurt."

I sighed, "I'll be fine, just call Derek."

I didn't give him any more opportunities to object. I dashed towards the locker room and stopped short of entering. I turned back to Stiles and motioned for him to hurry up with his phone call. I heard him grumble and start dialing. I turned back to the locker room and focused about seventy percent of my attention on my ears, hoping I'd hear something that gave away the Alpha's specific location.

No such luck. He remained absolutely silent and so I ventured inside slowly, virtually blind. I advanced around corners as quickly as I could, using every ounce of my inhuman speed, hoping to startle the damn thing at least for a second.

Also no luck.

But there. Multiple showers had been turned on just then and I was forced to concentrate less on my hearing, the running water deafeningly loud. I sighed and inched my way closer towards that area. The Alpha was literally less than twenty feet away and this was my chance to figure out what it wanted… or my chance to see whether or not it was as strong and dangerous as I'd been told. Either way, something was about to go down. But much to my disappointment, when I flew around the corner, there was nothing but the running water. Steam was quickly filling the room and I took a deep breath, wondering if and only slightly hoping that the Alpha had run off already.

Apparently my luck had run out a long time ago, because the only sound that was slowly rising above the noise of the shower, was the heavy, animalistic breathing coming from behind me. I turned around slowly and came face to face with the biggest wolf I'd ever seen.

"Shit." I breathed.

His growl echoed off the tiled walls and he swung his arm out, claws extended and yearning for my face. I only had enough time to drop to the water covered floor, to narrowly avoid being mutilated. I scrambled to my feet and flung myself at the beast, grabbing hold of its arm and twisting until I heard bones snapping and joints dislodging. It howled piercingly and back handed me so hard, I crashed into wall, leaving a very noticeable dent. I touched the back of my head gently and winced, my hand coming away covered in blood.

The Alpha roughly snapped his shoulder back into place, but as fast as the healing process was, his left arm would remain useless for at least another ten minutes. He growled menacingly and bared his teeth, snapping them again and again. I cringed and stood as quickly as I could.

It was not fast enough. The wolf knocked me into the opposite wall and kept on coming. His hand raked towards my face again, but I dodged to the side and succeeded in getting my arm torn open again. It was not nearly as bad as what Scott had done, since my arm was not the Alpha's intended target, but it was definitely going to hurt later.

I wasted no time in really thinking about it and kicked up, my foot connecting with his furry jaw. Its head snapped to the side and I took the opportunity to stand and back out of the shower area. Unfortunately, it recovered quickly and snarled, stepping closer to me. Without hesitation, it charged me and I barely had time to move out of the way before he was barraling straight for the wall. Instead of crashing through it like I'd half hoped, he bounded off it and came right back at me, bringing me to the ground. His teeth came right at me, having every intention of ripping my face from my skull. I used all my strength to slide myself out from under his legs and across the room.

I jumped to my feet and spun around to face him. My canines extended and I hissed, my eyes clouding over and the veins beneath them becoming darker and more prominent.

The wolf stopped briefly and glared at me, clearly perplexed. I had no time to attack and neither did he, because he was suddenly flying across the room, crashing into the rows of lockers. My eyes shot to the source of the wolf's temporary time-out and I found Derek, claws extended, teeth bared, eyes practically glowing. I laughed breezily and mumbled, "Thank god."

He turned to me and motioned towards the door. I nodded and we both took off in a dead sprint out of the locker room and the gym and into the parking lot where Stiles was waiting anxiously in his jeep.

I jumped into the back and Derek threw himself into the passenger seat and before the doors were even shut, Stiles was speeding away from the school. I glanced out the back window and saw the Alpha emerge from the gym, staring after us. He watched for a moment, but ultimately decided on turning and running off the other way.

"Wait, wait!" I said breathlessly, "What about Scott? What if the Alpha goes back? We can't just leave him there!"

"I already tried him on his cell phone," Stiles said, "The rest of the school is being evacuated thanks to Coach Lunbridge. He's going to meet us at the house as soon as he can."

I fell back against the seat and groaned, tilting my head back and staring at the ceiling. Out of my peripherals, I saw Derek turn back to me, no longer a wolf, "You alright, Barbie? You're bleeding a lot."

"What?" The jeep swerved and Stiles' gaze burned into my face from the rear view mirror, "Are you okay Caroline?"

Derek turned to Stiles and narrowed his eyes, giving him the same stupid look that Stiles had given me earlier, "I just asked her that, idiot."

"Yeah, well she likes me better." He grinned back at me, evilly, in the mirror, "Right, Caroline?"

I glared back at him, "I'll be fine."

For the remainder of the ride to my house, I felt the necessary urge to keep my eyes off Derek at all times. Freaking Stiles.

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><p><strong>AN: **_Woo, alright (: Did everyone like? I'll try to update by next tuesday/wednesday. Please review and let me know what you all thought about the chapter and my little rant before. Thanks again everyone! ILOVEYOU (:_


	11. Recruiting an Army

**A/N:** _I know you all hate me. That's okay, I'm hoping this chapter and the next one (which I already have written, yay!) will fix that. I want you all to know that I love you and I appreciate every review, favorite, and alert that I receive. You all are the best! So here ya go; enjoy!_

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><p>Stiles drove like a bat out of hell away from the school, swerving around oncoming traffic and practically drifting to a stop in front of my house. We weren't in as much of a hurry to get inside as we were coming out of the school gym, but then again, we weren't being trailed by a killer wolf. Still, Stiles deemed it necessary to slam the door shut behind us and lock both dead bolts. I would've laughed at his antics, but my nerves were too frazzled for anything other than deep concentration and a seemingly permanent scowl. Not to mention, I still couldn't find it in me to look directly at Derek, not after mine and Stiles' conversation. Freaking Stiles.<p>

The devil in question stood, staring between Derek and I with his hands planted firmly on his hips. He raised his eyebrows at the both of us and then threw his arms into the air, "Well! What the hell are we supposed to do?"

Derek shook his head and growled, "I don't know. I was walking the perimeter of the school the whole time and he managed to get past me. Not to mention, that means he wasn't after me. Scott needs to get here."

I halted in my subconscious pacing and glanced over at him, curiously, only part of his sentence registering, "Why were you walking the perimeter of the school?"

His eyes snapped up to mine and he snarled, with more menace then appropriate, "I hardly think that's the most important thing to be discussing."

I shook my head, not in the mood to deal with his snarky attitude. Granted, he had good reason for it this time, but I just… didn't feel like arguing with him. Mostly because, now I couldn't stop thinking about what could've happened to him. The Alpha managed to sneak past him into a populated high school; he could've easily taken Derek out, especially if he wasn't the intended target, while I was busy with _stupid volleyball_. He was obviously expendable to the Alpha, which did nothing to help the frantic worry invading my body. My fingers curled into claws to keep from doing a physical body check on him. He probably wouldn't appreciate my "worrying". I rolled my eyes at the thought and turned my face away from him.

_SLAM!_

The front door buckled against the dead bolts and before I could even think about trying to protect Stiles or myself, Derek's arm slithered around my waist and he spun me behind him, crouched down in defense mode. I didn't have time to think about his actions, because I was staring at the front door with darkened eyes and lengthening canines, ready to attack.

Stiles stumbled backwards, away from the door and twitched next to me with wide, frightened eyes. The door buckled against the locks again, but this time, was accompanied by a worried voice.

"Caroline! Open the door!"

My body sagged in relief and I flew towards the door, faster than Derek or Stiles could turn to look at me, and slid the locks out of their place. Scott stepped up off the porch and wrapped me in a tight hug. He pushed me back over the threshold and slammed the door shut behind him. He pulled away and looked me up and down, a question poised on his lips, but I saw the moment his eyes drank in my new wound and filled with fury. He glanced over at Derek accusingly, "Were you just going to let her bleed to death?"

Derek's expression turned extremely irritated as he crossed his arms and replied casually, "I wouldn't have let her bleed out, I would've fixed her up eventually, even though she claimed she was fine, but instead of pointing fingers at me, why don't you look in a goddamn mirror? Where were you while she was getting sliced open, Scott?"

Scott took a deep breath and just barely managed to ignore him. He turned back to me and asked, "You're okay?"

I smiled and patted his cheek gently, "I'm fine. What about you? Not hurt?"

He shook his head and glanced over at his best friend, "Stiles?"

Stiles had a hand against his chest and was breathing deeply, but he managed a small smile and a quick jerk of his head, which I presumed was a nod. Scott took a breath and stepped away from me. He glanced over at Derek begrudgingly and raised his eyebrows. Derek nodded and turned away, pacing the length of the living room. I took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall, banging my head back and closing my eyes. I asked quietly, to no one in particular, "What now?"

Stiles, who was finally calming down enough to form coherent sentences, shook his head, looking a little dazed and held his hand out, "It just doesn't make any sense. There was no way the Alpha didn't pick up Derek's scent on the way inside, so he obviously wasn't after Derek, but if he'd been looking for Scott… why did he create such a huge scene?"

I glanced at all three of my boys in turn, but my gaze halted on Derek. His expression went from irritated, but thoughtful to icy cold and dangerous in the matter of seconds. His shoulders tensed, his hands balled into fists inside his jacket pockets. He peeked over at Scott with nearly glowing eyes and asked quietly, darkly, "Could he know about her?"

It only took me half of a second to realize he was talking about me and my inhuman state. I cleared my throat and piped up, "He didn't, until the incident today."

My lifeless heart seemed to be under the impression that it was still beating for just a moment, when Derek ignored my statement and stalked over to the front door, yanking it open and storming out onto the front porch. I followed him out quickly and skidded to a stop when he did.

"Derek, what're you doing?"

"He could be out there, Caroline, looking for you and your vampire tricks won't work with him. He doesn't need permission to enter a house, he just can," He peeked at me over his shoulder, "Including yours."

I sighed, "My 'vampire tricks' wouldn't work on anyone; not that trick anyway. I do own the house, yes, but I'm not a human, therefore anyone can enter my house, vampire, human, werewolf…"

Derek's normally unreadable eyes were slightly frantic as he turned to fully face me, "What?"

I shrugged, "I'm not human; technically, I'm dead, so anyone and there mother could get into my house, including other vampires. Unless I gave the deed to my house to another human and they owned it, my house is fair game to others of my kind. And as you so elegantly pointed out, it doesn't work on werewolves anyway."

"So you're completely unprotected against every kind of supernatural being out there?" It was more of a statement then a question. He laughed bitterly and without humor, "Great, that's just great."

I scoffed quietly and furrowed my eyebrows, "I'm only one vampire, sure, but I'm not entirely helpless. I got along just fine by myself before."

He grumbled something about my not understanding and needing more protection, but otherwise, he ignored me and returned to scanning the woods with intense, watchful eyes. I stared at the back of his head, willing him to turn around and look at me, but he remained stiff as a board.

I arched an eyebrow and glanced back towards the open front door to make sure Scott and Stiles were otherwise occupied. There were deep in conversation so I turned back to Derek and sidled up closer to him. I stopped right behind him and placed my chin on his shoulder gently. My sensitive eyes actually saw the small hairs on the back of his neck rise. I grinned mischievously and stared right at him, not two inches away.

"Hey, Derek?"

"What?" His voice was deep and husky and because I was so close, I could hear the very tiny tremble underlying his words; it made my insides quiver.

"It's really not fair that you get to worry about me, but you bite my head off when I try to do the same for you."

"You don't understand-"

"No, believe me, I do." I pulled away and strode in front of him, obscuring his view of the _empty_ woods. I sighed, "Contrary to popular belief, I can protect myself."

He pointedly looked down at my torn open arm and then back up to my face with skeptical eyes. I rolled _my_ eyes and shrugged, "No one comes away unscathed."

He remained silent, simply staring at me, examining my face with searching eyes. My stomach was rolling; my venom-tainted blood was pumping faster under his scrutinizing gaze. I glanced over through one of the front windows and saw Scott and Stiles still talking. Their conversation was slowly winding down, so I turned back to Derek quickly, only to find that he hadn't looked away from me at all. I took an unneeded, but steadying breath and placed a delicate hand on his cheek. I saw his eyes widen just the slightest before I leaned forward and whispered, "I know you stormed out here, because you're worried about me, but you've got to understand that I can take care of myself."

He nodded almost imperceptibly and whispered huskily, a little hesitantly, "Fine."

I felt the corners of my lips twitch, but before I let him slip away, back into his hard-set attitude, I closed my eyes and pressed my lips against his. It was brief… at first. Until I felt an almost literal spark of heat against my lips and down my spine. My stomach lurched and even though, somewhere in the back of my muddled brain, I was afraid of pushing him too far, I pressed myself closer until the kiss was nothing sweet, but absolutely desperate.

My insecurity was half a second away from kicking in when I felt his arms tentatively come up around me. It was a delicate grasp, unsure. I tried to rationalize in my head a way to continue to coax him further without scaring him off, but my thought process was evaporating, my brain turning hazy.

I slipped my arms around his neck and, at the same time, felt him pull me closer. If I'd been "alive", I might have had a heart attack from the sheer joy that was filling every crevice and corner of my body and mind.

His calloused hand touched my cheek and I almost melted into the floorboards. He pushed me into action, moving me away from where we'd previously been standing and against the front of the house, all without stealing his lips away. He pressed, flush against me and I shivered, raking my fingers down his back, pulling him closer, desperate to feel him everywhere.

"Hey Caroline!"

Our lips disconnected, but we stayed wrapped around each other tightly. I peeked in the front window and saw that we had about four seconds before we were found out. I turned back to Derek, who was breathing deeply, his eyes closed, and whispered, "I love that you care though, so thank you."

Those icy blue eyes opened and I grinned, pecking him quickly before pulling away and trotting inside. Scott stopped short in the doorway and glanced curiously between Derek and I before shaking his head, probably deciding he didn't care to know, and said seriously, "I don't think the Alpha was after you."

I cleared my throat, "Not that I care for you to be wrong, but why?"

"Well first, you said back in the house that the Alpha hadn't known about you before the locker room incident…" He left it open for me to elaborate; so I did.

I nodded, "When I decided enough was enough and… let myself go, he hesitated. He had no idea I wasn't human; though he should have guessed. I don't know any human that can get thrown against a tiled wall that hard and get back up quickly enough." I muttered the last part bitterly. Damn wolf.

Scott winced at my recollection of injuries, but nodded and said, "And second, after I managed to ditch my class during the evacuation, I caught a glimpse of two guys stumbling off into the woods." He glanced over at Derek, "Their whole demeanor looked frighteningly familiar."

Derek sighed and raked rough hands down his face, "He's recruiting."

"A werewolf army." Stiles whimpered, "Who were they?"

"Kyle Bruckner and Connor Williams."

Stiles groaned, "Those two jerks are hard enough to handle when their human!"

Scott's face looked hopeless, "What do we do?"

"They'll be in transformation throughout the day, the Alpha won't lead them to attack now, but they might be a problem tonight," Derek looked at Scott, "and we've got enough to deal with."

I shut my eyes and breathed deeply, "Is everything we need for tonight here? Down in the basement, I mean?"

Derek nodded. I took another deep breath and looked between Scott and Derek, "I've got an idea, but I'm not sure how comfortable you two might be with it."

They glanced at each other briefly, but turned back to me and waited anxiously. I peeked over at Stiles, "I'm going to need your help."

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><p>Derek stood a few steps away from the porch, arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed, staring down at the ground, "We get rid of it as soon as Scott's passed out."<p>

I nodded, "Of course. I just can't believe we had enough."

Derek continued to stare down at the large circle of wolfs bane surrounding my house. I'd had plenty from when I used to help Tyler, but Derek had to get some more to finish the circle. I'd walked the perimeter three times to make sure there wasn't any place that was only sparsely covered. It was the best plan we could come up with for now and I was determined to make sure it worked to its full potential.

Derek barked loudly, pulling me from my thoughts, and I turned to find Stiles standing next to him, looking extremely mischievous with a piece of wolfs bane in his hands. Small wisps of smoke climbed from Derek's bare arm, but the burn was healing before even my eyes could find it. Stiles shrugged and I tried, unsuccessfully, to hide my grin from them.

"I just wanted to make sure it worked." Stiles claimed.

"Then why didn't you try it on Scott?" Derek ground out between clenched teeth.

Stiles shrugged, "I couldn't find him quick enough."

Derek huffed an aggravated breath, like he had a nice, big threat for that excuse, but he bit his tongue and turned to me, questioning. I nodded and headed inside the house while Derek glared at Stiles and the little imp backed away slowly.

I stepped down the basement stairs slowly and peered into the dark room. Scott was sitting in my cushioned chair from earlier, staring off into nothing. His hands were curled over the arms of the chair, his knuckles white. I pushed his left arm away and sat down gently, throwing my legs over his lap. His arm fell to rest on my legs, but he didn't say anything. I glanced over at the… thing, the boys had built. It definitely didn't look appealing. I sighed and leaned sideways against the chair, next to his shoulder.

"Tell me what you're thinking about."

He answered without missing a beat, "Everything that could go wrong."

"Like what?" I asked him.

He looked up at me with endless dark eyes that held enough worry for both of us. "What if it can't hold me, Caroline? What if, by some freak accident, I break out and come after you and Stiles? I'm stuck in your wolfs bane circle."

I ran my fingers through his hair softly, "But Stiles and I aren't. We can leave anytime we want."

"Still, I'll just end up destroying everything in your house."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but that basement door up there? Yeah, it's steel and just about as thick as your head." I poked his temple and he chuckled lightly.

He sobered quickly, though, and sighs, "I'm just nervous."

"I know, but we'll take care of you. I promise."

He smiled up at me and shook his head gently, "Have I ever told you that I'm thrilled you moved here?"

I smirked and raised my eyes to the ceiling, tossing my hair behind my shoulder, "Yes, but I could always do with hearing it more."

He laughed and nudged me playfully.

Three and a half hours later, Scott was anything but playful as he walked down the basement stairs slowly with a somber expression. Derek and I followed him to the door, but stopped at the top of the stairs. I touched Derek's arm and he only stared after Scott for another minute before turning and answering my unasked question, "I'll be there. He'll be okay."

I glanced, unsure, at Scott's descending figure, but nodded and moved to retreat back to the living room. Derek's hand wrapped around mine and he pulled me back towards him, granting me a soft, but reassuring kiss. He didn't wait for me to respond, only pulled the thick metal door closed and stomped down after Scott.

My breath left me in a rush as I plopped down on the couch next to Stiles. He threw his arm around me and tilted his head on mine. "He's going to be okay."

I closed my eyes and squeezed Stiles' hand, "Of course he is."

I knew the chain-wrapping idea Tyler had used previously hadn't worked spectacularly well. As a matter of fact, he'd broken out of them, but Tyler was an Alpha and luckily, Scott was not. The water/wolfs bane concoction should weaken Scott enough to keep him securely trapped in his restrictions. It should hold him.

It _should_.

I sat frozen in Stiles side and took a deep breath, knowing that both, he and I, were sending silent prayers to any God above that would listen.

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><p><strong>AN: **_Was it alright? Enough to hold you until the next chapter? Which WILL be posted soon, because it's already written (: Love you guys, review and let me know if I've still got it? And if you're still interested..._


	12. Keeping the Enemy at Bay

**A/N:**_ Hi guys. I am the ABSOLUTE worst. I hope this makes up for it a little? Life has just been a little hectic dealing with college and work and what not. Anyways, a few things before I let you all read..._

_Obviously I didn't think the whole "wolfs bane circle" thing all the way out in my head. I mean, they could just jump over it? Lol, so let's pretend for the sake of the story that it creates some kind of barrier around the house; like a shield of sorts. Plus, those words only come up about a gazillion times in the story anyways._

_Uhm, I hope you all enjoy the last little bit of this chapter, because it's definitely a prelude to what you can expect for the next (: I hope you guys enjoy, I know I don't have a right to ask for tons of reviews after my horrible track record for updating, but if you love me and this story, you'll be the better people? I love you guys, and please forgive me (: Enjoy!_

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><p>Hours into Scott's transformation, I had to force myself to go sit out on the front porch. I tried to stay in the living room as long as I possibly could, but his piercing howls were too much for my ears and ultimately, my pounding head. I felt awful, like I was abandoning him at his worst time, but I reassured myself that Derek was taking good care of him and if, for some reason, help was needed later, I would be of better service <em>without<em> a severe migraine.

Stiles accompanied me outside, plopping down on the top porch step next to me. I bumped his knee with mine and sighed, "I don't know what to do."

He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Just gotta let the full moon pass. There's no quick solution for this one."

Scott's agonized scream cut through the night air and I squeezed my eyes shut. This howl of pain was worse than all the others had been. After his inhuman bark of terror and anger, Scott's human voice cried out in agony and it started to sound like he was sobbing. My fingers wrapped over the porch step and I clenched the wood in my hand tightly until it began to groan in protest.

"Caroline."

I shook my head, "I know, we have to help him. I just don't know how!"

"No, Caroline…"

I blinked away the beginnings of the tears in my eyes and peeked over at Stiles. He was staring off into the distance, his eyes practically bulging out of his face. His lips were parted, but unmoving and I was almost certain I could see the color drain from his face. I turned to find what'd caught his attention and looked right into the larger, glowing eyes of the Alpha.

I sprung to my feet, grabbing Stiles by his jacket sleeve and pushing him back towards the front door. I crouched down low to the ground on the defense. My stomach was bouncing off the walls of my abdomen, filled to the brim with undiluted hatred and absolute terror. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to tear that animal's furry throat from its body. However, I forced myself to stay in place thinking of Scott and Stiles. Derek had his hands absolutely full trying to keep Scott under control and as much as I loved Stiles, he was only a liability right now. He couldn't protect himself.

An inhuman snarl tore from my throat and the veins under my eyes blackened within seconds. My fingers were outstretched like claws and if it weren't for my supernatural state and the reflexes it granted me, they'd be trembling with disgust.

Two more sets of glowing eyes emerged from the trees and I hissed threateningly. I could swear the Alpha was smirking at me. It set my heart ablaze. His two lap dogs, in their Beta form, started slowly stalking towards the house. I leapt from the porch and landed a couple feet away from our home-made perimeter. The Alpha growled menacingly and snapped his teeth at me, beginning to advance towards the house as well.

"Caroline, get your ass back up here!" Stiles yelled. His voice, surprisingly, didn't waver or falter like it usually did when he was terrified. It was deep and demanding and completely full of fear. A part of me wanted to ease his worry, to slowly back towards the house again, but I couldn't concentrate on him long enough to even consider it. The Alpha, Kyle, and Connor were dead set in front of me and I'd be damned if I let them out of my sight.

I glanced briefly down to the wolf's bane barrier, wondering whether or not this thin circle of herbs was really going to withstand three wolves. However, I noticed a faint glow radiating upward from the wolf's bane until it faded back into the night. It'd been invisible up until now and seemed to be getting stronger as the threats moved closer. I peered back up at the approaching wolves and took in the fact that they hadn't caught my line of vision. How very oblivious of them, not to notice a barricade made of one of the only things they could not touch. No matter.

I grinned evilly and whistled a frequency high enough to pierce their animal ears, "Come on, puppy. Come get me."

Kyle and Connor growled and launched themselves my way, leaping through the air.

Both were immediately thrown backwards, like running head first into a glowing brick wall. They whimpered like injured dogs and glared at me, small sections of their shirts and furry faces burning away, a dreadful odor wafting through the air. They fisted handfuls of dirt as they dug their paws in the earth, and looked to the Alpha for instruction.

The giant wolf snarled at me, ignoring his companions, and lunged forward. He didn't get thrown back on his ass like the puppies, but the barrier definitely prevented his entrance and the scent of burnt hair circulated the air quickly as he scrambled backwards, unable to pass through. He howled up towards the sky and started to pace back and forth around the perimeter; searching for a way in.

From inside the house, I heard a loud crash and Stiles' muttered, "Oh shit."

I tore my gaze away from the wolves for a moment and stared disbelievingly through the front windows. I could hear Stiles banging around in the kitchen, presumably looking for some kind of weapon. Another crash sounded, clearly from the basement, and my eyes widened in panic. I could hear Derek and Scott growling at each other, their fists pounding one another.

A whimpering of pain pulled my gaze back to the threat and I saw the Alpha leaned up against the barrier, trying to push his way through. His shoulder cleared the glow of the wolf's bane shield, but he snarled and pulled back.

It was penetrable. My stomach lurched forward and I tried desperately to formulate some kind of feasible plan. There wasn't a whole lot I could do, especially without Derek's help. I forced out a deep breath and tried to think of anything, even something that could only possible buy me another ten minutes.

A moment later, there was only one thing that kept coming to mind, not that it was such a great idea, but I roared, "Stiles!"

I heard his footsteps pound through the house, "What?"

I kept my eyes steadily on the Alpha. It wouldn't be too much longer until he forced his whole body through the barrier and then we were all screwed.

"Taped underneath the coffee table" was all I told him and a few moments later, I heard the duct tape ripping away from the wood. I heard his movements stop.

"Caroline…"

"Bring it here, Stiles. Now!"

He raced out the front door and stopped beside me, watching the wolves carefully. He swallowed thickly and placed the gun and extra clip in my hand. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw him glance at me and I sighed, "Find a way to warn Derek." I turned to look at him fully then, "But however you decide to do it, _do not_ open that door, Stiles."

He nodded his head and left my side in a hurry. I flicked the safety off and cocked the gun, pointing it in the general direction of the animals. I didn't want to focus on only one of them, knowing that the other two, whichever they were, would take their chance when I did. I slipped the extra clip in my pocket and took a deep breath. Thank God for a cop mom and her incessant need to make sure I could handle firearms.

The Alpha seemed to have that wolfy smirk back on his face, as if unbelieving that I actually thought a gun could stop him. I wasn't naïve, I knew it wouldn't run him off, but it would buy me enough time until Stiles could let Derek know that I needed his help.

The wolves stalked forward in unison and I would have rolled my eyes at their seemingly practiced behavior if I wasn't inwardly panicking. Sure I had a gun and the wolf's bane barrier seemed to hold up well enough against the Betas', but that didn't mean that three wolves moving towards you in unison wasn't a little intimidating.

Kyle and Connor stopped in front of the perimeter and eyed it warily, but the Alpha kept his gaze directly on me as he inched closer, pushing his nose through the glow. He moved closer, slowly, until almost his entire head was through. I looked down the sight of my gun, aimed right between his unearthly eyes. I saw his lips curl in pain and knew he wouldn't be able to push his whole body through; not yet, at least.

He pulled back quickly and snarled again, shaking his monstrous head to rid himself of the burning sensation. He could only try so many times to force his way through before he came up with a plan.

The Alpha glanced at his followers and they all seemed to be having a silent conversation. My stomach ricocheted at the sight. He already _had_ a plan.

Kyle and Connor crouched low to the ground, their faces angled upward. The muscles in their arms and legs coiled before they sprung up in the air, their claws digging into the barrier, trying to climb up. My eyes shot to the sky and picked out the discrepancy in our protection. The glow only extended so far up before it faded completely into the night air. There was an opening and if they could climb the remaining feet, I was dead; we were _all_ dead. Luckily, the Betas' couldn't hold contact with the barrier very long. They ripped their hands away from the translucent wall and fell back to the earth, landing unceremoniously in a tangled mess.

The Alpha growled at them and snapped his head back to me. He bent low to the ground, his sights set on the top of the wall; his goal. He dipped low before launching his body towards the barrier. His claws sank into the glow, gripping tightly and he climbed frantically to the top, trying to make it over before the burning became unbearable.

I stepped back and aimed the gun at the spot where he'd come over the shield. His head barely peered over the top when I fired, a bullet ripping into one of his ears. He yelped and rocked backwards, but otherwise held onto the barrier.

Shit.

He bared his teeth at me and tried to pull himself up and over again. I waited until more of him was above the glow before firing again, a series of shots aimed for his chest. The Alpha jerked to the side and the bullets imbedded themselves in his shoulder. He barked and fell backwards, his paws still gripping the wall as he slid downwards. It wouldn't be long now before they all made it over.

The Alpha and his pack paced back and forth. All of their eyes were flashing with rage and anticipation, probably imagining my death. And it was right after that thought, that the Alpha revealed a deadly glint in his eyes. The inhuman smirk played across his face and he barked loudly, quick and short. It tore through my ears, louder than a normal bark, but it was bearable.

At least, it was bearable until all three of them started to do it. Short, rapid bursts of deafening howls ripped through the air around me. The sound bounced off the walls of my ears, piercing my brain. I tried to withstand it, tried to look like it wasn't melting the inside of my head. But I couldn't do it. The gun slipped from my hand and I pressed my palms against my ears, desperately trying to block out the sound.

The barks and howls came again and again, disabling me further. I squeezed my eyes shut and fell to my knees, all the while pressing harder and harder against my head, wishing I'd go deaf. My skin tingled and it felt like every stable thing inside of me was crumbling. It felt like death. I writhed on the ground, trying to think of some way to unhear the noises they were making, but the pain crashed down around me in waves of agony. My back arched and I wailed.

Slowly, or maybe all at once, the barking came to a halt. The ringing in my ears after they'd stopped was still torture, but it was tolerable. I stood up, dazed and off kilter, trying to grasp the gun in my hands. My vision was blurry and making me even more dizzy. My fingers grazed over the cold metal and I tried to wrap my hand around it when a strong grasp enclosed my biceps. My stomach dropped to the soles of my feet and I sucked in a breath.

They'd gotten over.

I kicked and punched and lashed out at whichever one of them had gotten their claws on me and screamed with every ounce of breath left in me, "DEREK!"

I only did it to try and warn him, to let him know that as soon as they were done with me, they'd be coming for him and Scott. I hoped it was enough time for him to realize what was going on; he needed to get himself and Scott, and hopefully Stiles, away from this disaster as quickly as he could. The full moon wouldn't last too much longer; he could keep them safe for a while, right?

I tore at my captor and screamed louder, trying to prolong my life. Two dark hands with razor sharp nails encircled my wrists, rendering me useless. I thrashed and kicked and reared back, all to no avail.

Only when those hands, still holding my wrists, wrapped their arms around me in a bone crushing grasp, but nonthreatening hold, did I stop flailing around. A pair of lips pressed to the space just below my ear and spoke urgently, "Relax, Caroline. I've got you."

Derek loosened his grip, but held me close, examining me with icy blue eyes. I took deep breaths and tried to calm down. My vision cleared noticeably and my balance returned quickly. I peered up at Derek in his Beta form, looking dangerous and menacing, but for the life of me, so very sexy with that worried, angry look in his eyes. I breathed deeply, pushed my back into his chest and reveled in the safety he provided. I felt better almost instantly, though still a little nauseous.

Derek ushered me up quickly, one hand on my waist and one grasped tightly in my own. I squeezed his hand for comfort and breathed a sigh of relief. My stomach began to settle slightly and I started to feel all my strength return to me. Derek and I both glanced over at the Alpha and his puppies.

I peeked back at him, "Scott?"

He took a deep breath and spoke in a heavier voice, almost like the words took effort in this state of being, "Passed out in the basement."

"What do we do about them? They can climb over the barrier, Derek. They almost did."

"Full moon won't last much longer. We only have to hold them off until then."

I stooped to pick up my gun and clutched it in my free hand. I didn't want to let go of Derek. I knew we'd have to separate to keep the dogs at bay and showing affection towards one another was only giving the Alpha ammunition against both of us, but this night was taking its toll on me and I needed his presence, his stability, _him_.

Footsteps pounded down the porch steps and I turned to see Stiles come to a standstill beside me. He kept his eyes on the Alpha, not even bothering to look at me while he spoke.

"What do we do?" He asked.

I glanced at Derek and he nodded his head towards the house and then looked pointedly up at the sky. I turned back to Stiles and told him, "Scott's passed out in the basement. Put some clean clothes down beside him, but try not to wake him. We've don't have much longer until the full moon is gone."

He nodded and kissed my cheek quickly, "Be careful."

I smiled as best I could, "Of course."

He took off towards the house and I turned to Derek. His eyes stayed fixated on the Alpha. Kyle and Connor seemed to be growing restless and were trying to climb the shield again. They crouched low and lunged, trying to get as far up as possible before having to really grab on.

I let go of Derek's hand and brushed against his back while moving to go stand in front of the Betas'. I checked the clip for bullets and shoved it back in the gun, aiming it towards Kyle and Connor. I noticed suddenly that the part of the wall that faded into the night was lower than it'd been before. Our protection was fading and we were running out of time.

The Betas' reached the top of the wall the same time that the Alpha leapt. My eyes widened and I watched as Kyle and Connor tossed themselves over. The Alpha landed half over the wall at the same time. I shifted aim away from the Beta's and fired at the Alpha. I figured Derek and I had a better chance dealing with two kid wolves than the one responsible for creating all the others in this town.

The large wolf yelped in pain and tumbled back to the ground, behind the barrier. Unfortunately, Kyle and Connor had made it over with minimal damage. Derek didn't give them time to recuperate. He flew at them, tearing and biting and ripping them to shreds. He kept them alive, but worse for the wear.

I watched the Alpha carefully. He was becoming more agitated and frustrated. His pack was down and he was stuck on the other side of our perimeter. I reloaded my gun and kept my finger on the trigger.

But before I had a chance to unload on our enemy, the full moon started its descent from the sky. It was the tiniest movement and probably unrecognizable to human eyes, but for the rest of us supernatural, it meant victory, however temporary. Scott had completed the transformation, his pups were changing back to their human state slowly, and Derek was still only too eager to drag out this particular fight. The Alpha was outnumbered and out of time.

One last promising howl seared through my brain before he turned and bounded back through the forest. I hissed in his direction and rubbed my temples methodically. I'd need a whole bottle of Ibuprofen to keep the headaches away.

Derek cleared his throat and I glanced over at him. He looked human again and had a questioning gleam in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, "I'll be fine."

Derek nodded and grabbed Kyle and Connor by the back of their necks, dragging them towards the front door. I sped ahead of him and left the front door open before I pulled the basement door open as well. Scott was lying at the bottom of the staircase, breathing heavily and trying to push himself off the floor.

I leapt down the staircase and wrapped my hands around his shoulders. He jumped and looked up at me, but relaxed when he realized I wasn't here to attack. He leaned into me and I helped him up slowly.

"I need a three day nap." He rasped.

I laughed, "Fine with me. Come on, I'll help get you into bed."

"Caroline, you're gorgeous, but Derek would murder me."

I narrowed my eyes, "I can leave you down here if you'd like."

"No, take me upstairs, please."

We'd just made it to the basement door when Derek appeared before us and tossed an unconscious Kyle and Connor down behind us. He looked Scott over and slapped his cheek playfully, smirking, "Not bad."

"Be nice." I chided and helped Scott into the room he was staying in. I helped get him situated in bed and placed several bottles of water and some pain relievers on the nightstand. He was almost unconscious by the time I left the room. Stiles was passed out on the couch, having finally spent up all his energy for the night.

Derek and I headed upstairs and on the way up, he admitted, "I'm not sure what to do next. We can't predict the Alpha's next move; not accurately anyways."

I sighed, "I suppose it's time you all met my friend Bonnie."


End file.
